Ola Violates Consumer Rights: CCPA

New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has directed ride-hailing platform Ola to implement consumer-friendly changes, including offering refund options and providing receipts for auto rides, the regulator said on Sunday.

The CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, observed that Ola’s no-questions-asked refund policy only provided coupon codes for future rides, without giving consumers a choice for bank account refunds.

“This (practice) violates consumer rights,” the CCPA said in a statement. “The no-question-asked refund policy can’t mean that the company incentivises people to simply use this facility for taking another ride.”

The regulator also mandated Ola to issue bills or invoices for all auto rides booked through its platform, citing the absence of such documentation as an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act-2019.