Rapido Expands Urban Mobility With Delhi Metro Tickets

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Rapido, the scrappy bike-taxi upstart turned urban transport disruptor, just cranked the dial up a notch. In a move that feels equal parts genius and overdue, the company now lets Delhiites book Delhi Metro tickets straight from its app. No, this isn’t another cosmetic “integration” meant to grab headlines. This is Rapido, DMRC, and ONDC getting in the trenches together to make commuting in Delhi actually tolerable—maybe even enjoyable.

This slick new feature is more than a tech update. It’s Rapido trying to own every step of your commute—from your front door to the last train home. One app. Multiple transit legs. Zero friction. That’s the pitch.

The announcement wasn’t quietly slipped into a press release either. It was unveiled in classic startup fashion—with a stage, cameras, and government folks in suits. We’re talking senior brass from DMRC, ONDC, and Rapido. And that’s not all. The company’s also rolled out ₹25 flat bike rides (within 3 km of metro stations), women-only zones, designated pick-up/drop spots, and juicy discounts for bundled rides.

Uber might’ve rolled out metro ticketing earlier this year, but Rapido’s deeper integrations and ONDC tie-in suggest they’re playing a whole different game—more chess, less checkers.

Rapido’s not just throwing features at a wall. This plays right into its larger vision: dominating shared mobility, launching “Ownly” for food delivery, and knitting public transit into its digital empire. With a stronghold in Chennai and eyes set on Bengaluru, this could become the blueprint for startup-powered, user-first city transit.

And with over 7 million daily riders clogging the Delhi Metro, this might be the push India’s urban mobility nightmare has been begging for.

1. Rapido and Delhi Metro: A Strategic Partnership in Urban Commuting

1.1 The New Mobility Milestone

This is the kind of integration you didn’t know you desperately needed. Rapido, DMRC, and ONDC have stitched together a mobility experience that finally doesn’t feel cobbled together by disconnected apps and overloaded systems. Book your metro ticket. Hop on a Rapido. All from one screen. It’s clean, smart and It’s about time.

1.2 What’s Included in the Integration

This isn’t some shallow feature flex. It’s a bundle of genuinely useful commuter perks:

• Metro ticketing directly via Rapido (thanks to ONDC)
• ₹25 fixed-fare rides within 3 km of metro stations
• Marked pick-up/drop zones for smoother transfers
• Safer travel spaces exclusively for women
• Discounts on metro tickets booked via Rapido

Basically, it’s a multitool for people who are sick of switching between six apps just to get to work.

1.3 Government and Industry Support

This isn’t a side hustle partnership. This has legit backing. On stage for the launch were:

• Dr. Vikas Kumar, MD, DMRC
• Vibhor Jain, CEO, ONDC
• Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT

It’s clear the government isn’t just watching—they’re betting on public-private plays to make smart mobility actually happen.

2. Rapido’s Business Model and Growth Trajectory

2.1 Core Business Operations

When Rapido launched back in 2015, a lot of folks shrugged. Bike taxis? Cute idea. But now? It’s the go-to for zipping through India’s clogged city arteries. Cars get stuck. Autos overcharge. Rapido just… works. It’s lean, cheap, and everywhere.

2.2 Revenue Streams and Financial Model

So, how do they make their money? A mix of things:

• Taking a cut from every ride
• Selling digital ad space within the app
• Throwing strategic subsidies at key cities to grab market share fast

With a reported 70% grip on the bike taxi market and 40% in autos, they’re gunning for ₹1,000 crore in revenue by FY25. Profit? Just around the bend in FY26—if they keep this momentum.

3. Funding, Investors, and Expansion Plans

3.1 Capital Backing and Series E Funding

Big ideas need deep pockets, and Rapido’s got both. With $506.33 million raised, they’ve got rocket fuel. Key investors include:

• WestBridge Capital
• Shell Ventures

That money’s going into spreading the Rapido gospel across 100+ cities and launching wildcards like food delivery and public transit tools.

3.2 Product Diversification: Entry into Food Delivery

Yes, they’re doing food now. Ownly isn’t just another me-too platform. It skips the gouging commissions, charges a flat delivery fee, and lets restaurants breathe. Transparency? Who knew that could be a differentiator in 2025.

4. Addressing Urban Mobility Challenges

4.1 What Problem Rapido Solves

City life in India is a mess. Traffic snarls. Metro gaps. Sketchy last-mile options. Rapido took a look at all that and said, “Let’s fix it.” And they did. From safety features for women to reducing the soul-crushing commute chaos, they’re streamlining the bits no one else bothered with.

4.2 How Rapido Stands Out

Other companies give you a ride. Rapido gives you a system. A mobility stack. Metro tickets. Bike rides. All stitched into one experience. And that’s a different league altogether.

5. Industry Trends and Competitive Landscape

5.1 Growing Urban Transit Demand

Urban sprawl is accelerating. India’s heading toward 600 million city-dwellers by 2030. The Delhi Metro alone carries over 7 million people daily. The need for smart, interoperable transit is no longer a talking point—it’s survival-level essential.

Rapido’s play is bold—and necessary.

5.2 Competitors and Differentiators

Here’s the battlefield:

• Direct Threats: Uber, Ola
• Peripheral Rivals: Yulu, Bounce
• Public App Noise: Local transit apps trying to do too much, too slowly

What makes Rapido different? They’re not just trying to be “another option.” They’re targeting underserved cities and building an all-in-one commuter ecosystem. Not a patchwork. A platform.

6. The ONDC Advantage

6.1 What is ONDC?

ONDC is basically India’s open-source answer to Big Tech’s walled gardens. It unbundles digital commerce, levels the playing field, and invites innovation. Rapido joining this movement is more than symbolic—it’s strategic. They’re future-proofing.

6.2 Super Apps and Integration Trends

Everyone’s chasing the super app dream. Uber’s in logistics. Ola’s poking around food delivery again. Rapido’s just quietly connecting dots—transport, food, tickets, services—until it becomes the one app you actually want to use.

7. Background: The Journey of Rapido

7.1 Founding and Vision

Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, and Rishikesh SR started Rapido with little more than conviction and an idea: fast, cheap rides on two wheels. They didn’t aim for flash—they went for grit. And it worked.

7.2 Milestones Along the Way

• 2015: Born in Bengaluru
• 2019: Spread across 50+ cities
• 2023: Took a swing at food with Ownly
• 2024: Got cozy with Chennai Metro
• 2025: Dropped Delhi Metro ticketing via ONDC

Every move? Less luck, more calculated hustle.

8. The Future of Urban Mobility in India

8.1 Delhi as the Testbed

If Rapido can make this work in Delhi—the chaos capital of Indian commuting—it can scale anywhere. Think Tier II towns where no one’s innovating.

8.2 Multimodal Integration Is the Future

The writing’s on the wall. Cities need layered, integrated transport systems. Not silos. Not friction. Rapido’s stacking services like Lego bricks—metro, bikes, EVs—and it’s working.

9. Learning for Startups and Entrepreneurs

Some hard-earned startup wisdom from Rapido’s playbook:

• Don’t go for shiny—go for broken
• Partner with the public sector, don’t ignore it
• Think ecosystems, not just products
• Validate fast, expand faster
• Always keep one foot in the future, the other in the street-level reality

Rapido’s not building tech for VCs. They’re building it for the person late to work, stuck in traffic, sweating on a broken bus.

About Foundlanes

India’s mobility sector is exploding, and foundlanes.com is watching every spark fly. We bring you stories that actually matter—like Rapido’s leap into integrated public transit. From funding rounds to first rides, from Series E chaos to metro-card calm, we’ve got the goods. Bookmark us if you want startup news that feels alive.