The CCPA said, in a statement, “This violates consumer rights, and the no-question-asked refund policy cannot mean that the company incentivizes people to simply use this facility for taking another ride.”

The consumer rights protection watchdog also observed that if a customer attempted to access an invoice for auto rides booked on Ola, the app showed the message “Customer invoice for auto rides will not be provided due to changes in Ola’s auto service T&Cs”. The CCPA said this was also an “unfair trade practice” under the Consumer Protection Act.

The CCPA said 2,061 complaints against Ola were lodged with the National Consumer Helpline and the main complaints were higher fare charged from a consumer than what was shown at the time of booking, non-refund of amount to consumer, driver asking for extra cash, and driver either not reaching the correct location or not dropping at correct location.

Following the CCPA’s intervention, Ola has implemented several changes, including displaying contact details of grievance and nodal officers on its website, clearly mentioning cancellation policies and fees at the time of booking.