Rapido’s food delivery pilot Ownly is gearing up for a wider launch by the end of November, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move comes weeks after Swiggy announced the sale of its stake in Rapido for Rs 2,400 crore to Prosus and Westbridge Capital. Prosus is also reportedly set to lead an additional funding round of around $350 million, which could provide the platform with the cushion required for an aggressive push into food delivery.
The pilot, which was launched in mid-August in select Bengaluru neighbourhoods such as Koramangala, HSR Layout and BTM Layout, will now be expanded to other localities in the city. “The wider launch will focus on localities with higher student and working population,” a source said, adding that Rapido is also eyeing launches in other metro cities.
“We plan to expand to more neighbourhoods soon and will communicate confirmed rollout dates as soon as they are decided. Ownly has been designed with a simple, transparent model, a flat delivery fee, no packaging charges, and zero commission for restaurant partners. This ensures affordability for customers while helping restaurants build a more sustainable delivery business,” an Ownly spokesperson said in response to FE’s query.
The pilot, however, had been struggling to gain momentum since its launch, with restaurant partners citing concerns over Rapido’s insistence on matching menu prices with offline rates. With the platform not charge packaging charges or platform fees from customers, restaurants have had to absorb packaging costs of Rs 5-10 per order. The lack of platform fees or packaging charges on customers was meant to attract value conscious users but placed an additional burden on eateries.
Sources said Rapido has been working to address such friction points that several restaurant partners had flagged. “One of the options discussed is for the platform to absorb the costs for packaging,” said a source close to the developments.
Ownly’s business model relies on a three-tier delivery fee structure rather than a commission on order value, differentiating it from established players Swiggy and Zomato.
According to the finalised rate card, shared with restaurant partners, a copy of which was reviewed by FE, orders exceeding Rs 400 attract a delivery fee of Rs 50, with an additional 18% GST, bringing the total to Rs 59. This entire fee is to be paid by restaurant partners. For orders ranging between Rs 100 and Rs 400, restaurants again foot the entire delivery fee, amounting to Rs 29.50 (Rs 25 plus GST).
However, for orders valued below Rs 100, the burden is shared. Customers pay Rs 23.60 (Rs 20 plus GST), while restaurants pay Rs 11.80 (Rs 10 plus GST), bringing Rapido a total of Rs 35.40 in delivery revenue from such small orders.