India's Central Consumer Protection Authority has fined Ola ₹10 lakh over advance tipping prompts. The regulator said Ola misled customers into paying extra to improve ride confirmation chances. Ola, owned by ANI Technologies, must stop the practice immediately.
Ola's own data
Ola argued the payments were voluntary and went directly to drivers. The CCPA said Ola's own June 2026 data showed add-on requests were accepted less often than regular ones. In Delhi, 38% of add-on rides were accepted compared with 62% without one.
Company scale and finances
Ola operates across more than 200 Indian cities and has over 40 million users. The company reported standalone revenue from operations of about ₹1,060 crore in FY25. The fine is less than 0.01% of that figure.
Feature treated as dark pattern
The app showed preset tip amounts from ₹10 to ₹40, later rising to ₹140. Customers could also enter custom amounts up to ₹499. The CCPA classified the prompt as confirm shaming and said it gave users no clear way to decline.
Across three major cities, riders paid an estimated ₹56 lakh extra during June 1-15, 2026. Ola must remove the prompts and pay the penalty within 15 days. It must also submit a compliance report in the same period.