Summary of this article
CCPA fined Ola Rs 10 lakh for pre-ride tipping feature.
The feature constituted misleading advertisement and "Confirm Shaming" dark pattern.
Ola must stop the practice and submit compliance report.
Passengers booking Ola cabs may have come across an option to pay drivers an additional amount before their rides were confirmed. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined the cab aggregator Rs 10 lakh over this feature in an order dated November 10, 2026.
What Is The Case About
The CCPA received a complaint on May 16, 2025 against ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates Ola, alleging unfair trade practices related to its pre-ride tipping feature and peak-hour pricing. The complaint alleged that the app prompted passengers to pay drivers a tip before their rides were confirmed, suggesting that the additional payment could help speed up the booking process.
Also, it mentioned how it made customers pay in advance for their fear of delaying their booking or not getting a ride, while potentially encouraging drivers to favour passengers offering higher tips. Another issue mentioned in the complaint was pricing during peak hours.
During its preliminary inquiry, the CCPA examined Ola's platform and found that its app displayed a message on the Booking a driver soon screen stating, "Adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster". The message appeared alongside preset amounts of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 40. The authority observed that this could create an expectation among passengers that adding a tip would help them secure a ride or get one faster.
The CCPA also examined Ola's fare-related disclosures, which include its representation that passengers would be informed of any fare increase before confirming a booking.
Why The CCPA Objected To Ola's Advance Tipping Feature
During the hearing on July 4, 2025, the CCPA asked about Ola's practice of soliciting tips before a ride was confirmed. It said the additional payment could operate as a hidden cost because passengers were already shown an upfront fare for the service.
During the hearing, the CCPA told Ola, “No person should be required to pay an additional amount for a service which is, in any event, required to be provided. The platform is providing a service at a certain cost, and that cost must be made known to the consumer upfront. The solicited tip operates as a hidden cost over and above the fare, and the representation that tipping will improve the service is not correct.”
The CCPA also questioned the suggestion that paying a tip could help passengers get a ride faster. In its subsequent observations, it said the prompt could mislead consumers into believing that tipping influenced ride allocation. It noted that such claims, even when framed as possibilities, could amount to misleading advertisements if they were not supported by empirical evidence.
The authority further said Ola could revise its fares to improve driver remuneration, provided the revised prices were disclosed upfront, rather than encouraging passengers to pay extra for quicker service.
Did Ola’s Interface Amount To A Dark Pattern
The CCPA also examined Ola’s pre-ride tipping prompt under the Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2023. Referring to the guidelines, the authority explained that a dark pattern involves a deceptive or manipulative interface design that impairs consumer choice. It also referred to “Confirm Shaming”, a practice that uses fear, shame, ridicule or guilt to influence a consumer’s decision.
The authority observed that Ola's prompt could make passengers fear that refusing to pay an additional amount might delay or prevent them from getting a ride. It held, “Therefore, CCPA finds that the impugned interface constitutes a dark pattern within the meaning of Clause 2(e) of the Dark Patterns Guidelines, of the nature of ‘Confirm Shaming’ specified in Clause 3 of Annexure 1 thereto, in contravention of the said Guidelines.”
The CCPA also recorded violations relating to misleading advertisements, unfair contracts and unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
What Has The CCPA Ordered Ola To Do
The CCPA has directed Ola to discontinue all prompts, messages and interface features that encourage or pressure passengers to pay an additional amount before completing their rides. This includes prompts suggesting that an extra payment could improve the chances of getting a ride faster.
The authority noted that Ola’s app continued to display the quicker-ride prompt and preset add-on amounts even after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a clarification on August 11, 2026, prohibiting such prompts before ride completion.
The CCPA has also imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on ANI Technologies under Section 21(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, for the misleading advertisement. It said the penalty was justified considering the nature, scale and duration of the violations and directed Ola to pay the amount and submit a compliance report within 15 days of receiving the order.
