Consumer protection body imposes Rs 10 lakh penalty on Rapido for use of dark patterns

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SynopsisThe consumer watchdog found that Rapido used two practices classified as dark patterns - “confirm shaming” and “interface interference” - and directed the company to discontinue misleading prompts and practices that steer consumers towards higher payments, the CCPA said in a statement on Tuesday.

AgenciesRapido is in trouble after CCPA found its app nudged riders to pay more to improve their chances of getting a ride. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on ride-hailing platform Rapido for allegedly using misleading prompts and interface design to push customers to pay more while booking rides.

The consumer watchdog found that Rapido used two practices classified as dark patterns — “confirm shaming” and “interface interference” — and directed the company to discontinue misleading prompts and practices that steer consumers towards making higher payments, the CCPA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The action followed a wider CCPA examination of advance-tipping and dynamic-pricing practices used by cab and bike-taxi aggregators. Rapido did not respond to queries until press time.

According to the CCPA, Rapido would initially quote a fare to a customer but, after the ride was booked at that price, display prompts indicating that paying more could improve the chances of securing a ride.

One such message told users that a higher price meant a higher chance of getting a ride, while another prompted them to add Rs 10, Rs 20, or Rs 30 when drivers were not accepting the original fare. This is classified as “confirm shaming” under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, the regulator said.

The CCPA also objected to Rapido's “Set your price” slider. The authority said the design visually nudged customers to pay more and constituted “interface interference”, another dark pattern per the guidelines.

The CCPA cited the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, which provide that a tipping feature should be available only after completion of a ride, rather than during booking or the journey.

While Rapido argued before the authority that the additional payment was voluntary and that its matching algorithm continued to search for a driver regardless of whether the customer agreed to pay more, the CCPA said that the company did not submit data demonstrating whether or not paying an additional amount increased a customer's likelihood of securing a ride.

Read more news onCentral Consumer Protection AuthorityRapido penaltydark patternsconsumer protectionride-hailing platformmisleading promptsdynamic pricing

(Catch all the Technology News News, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

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