CCPA Focuses on Rapido’s Booking Practices

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has directed Rapido, a leading bike-taxi platform, to stop using messages and interface practices that encourage consumers to pay more for rides. The authority has also imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd., which operates Rapido. The CCPA found that prompts such as “Captains aren't accepting at ₹60. Try adding +10, +20, +30” could influence users to increase the amount they were willing to pay while a ride was still being processed.

According to the CCPA, such prompts could create the impression that paying a higher amount would increase the chances of getting a ride. The authority also flagged Rapido’s “Set your price” interface, where increasing the fare displayed a green indicator while lowering it triggered red or orange warnings. The CCPA classified these practices as “Confirm Shaming” and “Interface Interference”, which are recognised as dark patterns under the relevant consumer protection guidelines.

Rapido argued that the additional payment prompts were part of real-time communication between riders and drivers and did not constitute a dark pattern. The CCPA rejected the argument, stating that an additional payment should not be presented as a condition for receiving a ride before the service begins. It also noted that a tip is generally a voluntary payment made after a service has been provided. The authority is continuing its examination of similar practices across other cab and bike-taxi platforms.