Rapido Fined For Dark Patterns
CCPA Fines Rapido Rs 10 Lakh Over Dark Patterns and Misleading Fares
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The CCPA said Rapido’s quoted fare already accounted for factors including distance, time, traffic, tolls and the amount payable to the driver, and found no justification for subsequently seeking an additional payment for the same ride before it began.
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The regulator found that Rapido’s “Set your price” slider gave users more room to raise than lower their offer; increasing the fare produced a green “higher chance of getting a ride” message, while lowering it triggered a red or orange warning.
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Rapido argued that the extra payment was voluntary and that its driver-matching algorithm continued searching for a driver even when riders declined to pay more. The CCPA said Rapido did not provide data showing that the additional payment actually improved the likelihood of securing a ride.
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The CCPA is headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, who oversaw the action against Rapido operator Roppen Transportation Services.
India's consumer watchdog fined ride-hailing platform Rapido Rs 10 lakh on September 15, 2026, for using dark patterns and misleading tactics to pressure riders into paying extra before confirming their rides. CCPA found that prompts like
The regulator said Rapido's 'Set your price' slider visually steered users toward higher fares with green messages promising better ride chances, while red warnings appeared when fares dropped. Times of India reported that Hindustan Times called the practice 'confirm shaming'—pressuring committed riders who had limited power to negotiate.
How Rapido Pushed Riders to Pay More
Rapido's app showed riders prompts saying 'Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride' and asked them to add Rs 10, Rs 20, or Rs 30 when drivers rejected the quoted fare. Daily Excelsior reported that the company claimed quoted base fares already accounted for distance, time, traffic, tolls, and driver pay, making extra requests unjustified. The CCPA said Rapido had no data proving that paying more actually helped riders find drivers faster.
Deceptive Interface Design Manipulated Choices
The 'Set your price' slider gave riders more room to push prices up than down. Whales Book noted that raising the fare triggered green, positive messages, while lowering it showed red or orange warnings—a tactic called 'interface interference.' This visual design steered riders toward overpaying at the exact moment they had committed to a ride and felt trapped.
Rapido's Defense Fell Short of Proof
Rapido argued that extra payments were voluntary and that its algorithm kept searching for drivers regardless of whether riders paid more. But Business Standard reported the CCPA rejected this claim because Rapido provided no evidence that the additional payment actually improved driver acceptance rates. Without data, the regulator classified the feature as pure psychological pressure—a dark pattern designed to manipulate behavior.
Broader Crackdown on Ride-Hailing Apps
The CCPA also flagged that tipping should only happen after rides end, not before, aligning with India's 2025 Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines. Business Standard confirmed that Uber and Ola face parallel investigations for similar practices. Rapido has 15 days to stop the misleading tactics and submit a compliance report.
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