Ola fined ₹10 lakh over 'advance tip' prompts in its app

Why did the CCPA fine Ola?

Ola argued the payment was a voluntary tip that went to drivers and did not affect ride allocation. The regulator pointed to Ola's own numbers for June 1 to 15, 2026. In Delhi, drivers accepted 38% of requests with an add-on and 62% without. Bengaluru showed 40% against 68%, Mumbai 39% against 68%.

The CCPA also noted that Ola renamed "tip" to "add-on" in May 2025 but kept prompts like "Improve your chances of quicker ride confirmation!". Its verdict: a name change does not change what the feature does. It called the design "confirm shaming", a dark pattern banned under India's 2023 rules, because users could not close the prompt and might fear a delay if they said no.

About 9.8% of 39.94 lakh requests in the three cities carried an add-on. The CCPA estimated customers paid roughly ₹56 lakh extra on accepted rides.

Is advance tipping allowed in India?

Not under the road transport ministry's 2025 aggregator guidelines. Clause 14.15 says passengers can tip only after a ride is completed, and the whole tip must go to the driver. In an August 11 directive, the ministry told Uber, Rapido and Ola to remove such prompts. The CCPA fined Rapido ₹10 lakh for the same thing in September 2026.

The regulator said the fine is under 0.01% of Ola's roughly ₹1,060 crore standalone revenue for FY25, but argued it was still needed as a deterrent. It also stressed that people booking at hospitals, railway stations and airports are often in a hurry and more likely to pay.