CCPA fines Rapido Rs 10 lakh for misleading advertisements

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on ride-hailing company Rapido for running misleading advertisements, according to media reports.

Reports said the regulatory authority has also directed the company to issue refunds to consumers affected by the ad campaigns. The action follows complaints over ads such as ‘Guaranteed Auto’ and ‘Auto in 5 min or get Rs 50’, which gave the impression of assured services.

However, the promised Rs 50 compensation was reportedly not paid in cash but given as ‘Rapido coins’. These coins were valid only for bike rides, carried restrictions and expired within seven days, which the CCPA said forced users into repeat usage under unfair conditions.

According to the authority, the ads were misleading and were broadcast widely over a long period. Data cited in reports showed that the campaigns ran for about 548 days, nearly one and a half years, in several languages across more than 120 cities.

During this period, the company received over 1,200 consumer complaints between June 2024 and July 2025, with nearly half remaining unresolved. The complaints included cases of overcharging, delayed refunds, driver misconduct and unfulfilled cashback promises.

In its order, the CCPA observed that the company had engaged in ‘a practice calculated to mislead consumers by both commission and omission’. The regulator said the company exaggerated the reliability of its services while concealing key conditions that impacted users.

Along with the fine, the company has been ordered to withdraw the misleading ads immediately, refund the promised Rs 50 in full to affected consumers and submit a compliance report within 15 days, according to reports.

This order is reportedly among the recent measures by the CCPA to tighten scrutiny of misleading advertising in India’s expanding digital services market.