Rapido sharpens focus on Delhi, partners ONDC for metro-ride integration-OxBig News Network

“Delhi is our largest market. Every day, over 8 lakh customers use Rapido in Delhi alone,” said Aravind Sanka, chief executive and co-founder of Rapido. He added that a growing chunk—over 1 lakh daily riders—use the platform specifically to travel to and from metro stations.

The integration with Open Network for Digital Commerce allows Rapido users to book Delhi Metro tickets directly within the app. It aims for first-and last-mile connectivity, letting commuters use a single platform for both bike rides and metro travel.

Users can plan, book, and pay for multiple legs of a commute in one place, making it a bundled user experience.

Metro ticketing is already live via ONDC in cities like Delhi, Kochi, and Chennai, with Bangalore and multiple Mumbai metro lines set to go live soon. “We’re excited about Rapido enabling those lines as well,” said Vibhor Jain, chief executive of ONDC. “Beyond metros, we’re looking at mobility holistically, and bus ticketing is a big part of that journey. I’m sure Rapido will be live with that soon too.”

Rapido isn’t the only company aligning with ONDC’s vision of open mobility. Namma Yatri was the first to fully integrate with ONDC and introduced the SaaS model that dominant players like Uber, Ola have since adopted. In a previous interview with Mint, the company stated that it is now looking to expand into northern India while also piloting services in adjacent verticals such as ambulance and shuttle transport.

Meanwhile, Rapido is also exploring adjacent categories, like food delivery to diversify its offerings and compete with Swiggy and Zomato. However, the company has faced major regulatory setbacks in Karnataka, where a blanket ban on bike taxis disrupted one of its largest markets. This has not only impacted its user base but also dealt a blow to one of its core revenue streams.

Uber too partnered with ONDC to offer metro ticket booking, starting with Delhi Metro integration directly within its app, marking Uber’s entry into public transport via the open network. The company also plans to expand metro ticketing to three more cities and explore B2B logistics services through ONDC.