Rapido, one of the leading ride-sharing platforms in India, is now venturing into food delivery services called Ownly. They are currently testing a beta version of the app in Bengaluru. This is the first time Rapido is entering a space dominated by Swiggy and Zomato.
According to a report in TechCrunch, the company has started testing its food delivery service in Byrasandra, Tavarekere, and Madiwala (BTM) Layout, Hosur Sarjapura Road (HSR) Layout, and Koramangala. This was confirmed by Rapido co-founder and CEO Aravind Sanka to the publication.
Ownly is part of Ctrlx Technologies, a recently established subsidiary of Rapido. The app has been launched on Google Play and the App Store and reportedly offers meals from local restaurants at about 15 per cent less than other popular apps.
Reportedly, the brand is claiming to be a commission-free alternative, meaning instead of charging eateries a percentage of order value, it is adopting a flat-fee-per-order model. This is how it is able to offer food prices up to 15 per cent lower than others. Ownly claims to have ‘no hidden charges’ and delivers restaurant food at offline prices through the app.
To prevent possible conflicts of interest with Swiggy, which presently owns a 12 per cent minority share in Rapido, Swiggy recently informed shareholders in a letter that it will review its investment in Rapido, citing a possible conflict of interest “that may arise in the future”.
Rapido reportedly has a fleet of about 10 million vehicles, including around 6 million two-wheelers in India. The company, which is currently operating in over 500 cities with four million monthly rides, delivers food orders through its network of two-wheelers. The initial rollout in Bengaluru is a testing phase for the company which, once successful, could lead to a wider rollout.
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