India, Sept. 15 -- The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs.10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, which operates prominent bike-taxi and auto-rickshaw platform Rapido, for unfair trade practices, unfair contracts, and "dark patterns" that manipulated commuters into paying higher fares before their rides were confirmed.

A statement by the consumer affairs ministry on Tuesday said CCPA found that the Rapido app first quoted a fare to the customer. When the customer accepted the fare, it prompted them to pay more on the grounds that its operators were not accepting the original fare by displaying messages such as "Higher the price, higher the chance of getting a ride" and "Captains aren't accept...