India’s consumer regulator has fined Ola Rs 10 lakh for nudging riders to pay an advance tip for a faster ride, and ordered it to stop the practice.

The order, dated 10 November, is against ANI Technologies Private Limited, the company behind Ola. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs shared details of it on 13 November. Here is what riders saw.

While they waited for a driver to accept a booking, the app showed a message saying a tip could improve their chances of getting a ride sooner.

The suggested amounts began at Rs 10 to Rs 40 in May 2025 and later rose to as much as Rs 140. Riders could enter up to Rs 499.

Ola defended the feature. It said the money was voluntary, went entirely to drivers and did not decide who got a ride. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) disagreed.

Ola’s own booking data for 1 to 15 June 2026 showed that requests with an add-on were accepted less often than those without one.

Riders were never told this. The regulator also pointed out that a tip normally thanks someone for service already given, not one still waiting to be accepted.

It went further. The authority called the design “confirm shaming”, which means making people feel they will lose out if they say no.

The prompt had no close button, and the regulator said elderly riders, patients and people travelling alone or at night could be especially vulnerable.

The practice also clashed with national rules for cab aggregators from 2025, which allow tipping only after a trip ends.

Ola kept the prompts running even after the transport ministry clarified this on 11 August 2026.

The order tells Ola to remove all prompts, preset amounts and designs that ask for extra payment before a trip is complete.

Calling it an “add-on” instead of a tip does not change that. Ola must also file a compliance report within 15 days. This is not the first such case.

The regulator fined Rapido Rs 10 lakh over similar prompts, as the ministry announced on 15 September, and its review of Uber is still on.

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