Swiggy has collaborated with Bounce to start a new bike taxi pilot in Indore and Ahmedabad. The pilot has been up and running for the past two months now. This new initiative is taken on Swiggy’s part to bring in benefits even when its food delivery orders are low.
Swiggy is going to take advantage of Bounce’s ride-hailing service to pick up and drop customers. According to a report issued by Swiggy, Indore and Ahmedabad are two places where its delivery service often gets slackened. So, to ensure that Swiggy has some kind of capital balance from these places, too, the company has started the new pilot system.
Apart from this, it is also said that the small size of the markets and the low chances of regulatory hurdles are the reasons behind picking up and dropping off customers. Swiggy’s interest in Bounce may also result in Swiggy’s investment in the said company in the future.
According to a source, “While this is just a pilot, the larger plan for Swiggy is to launch bike taxis in one of its major markets, which is said to be at least six months away. Bengaluru and Gurugram (Gurgaon) are being discussed as options.”
However, Swiggy has refused to comment on this ongoing speculation, and Bounce too is skeptical of this view that is emerging out of the speculations.
Vivekananda HR, Varun Agni, and Anil G founded Wicked Rides in 2015. The company provides premium motorcycle rides for rent under the name of Wicked Rides banner and commuter bike services under the name of Bounce.
From its record, the business seems to be blooming as the company has recorded over 2 million rides. They are also looking forward to introducing over 50 thousand vehicles this year. If this venture proves itself to be fruitful, it has the potential to expand Bounce’s business, given that Swiggy has over 2 lakh delivery partners spread across 300 Indian cities.
Swiggy has been reducing its discounts and bringing in more repeat orders, hoping to diversify the revenue channels. Earlier this month, it was rumored that Swiggy had also acquired a delivery start-up called Supr Daily in 2018 but the news has not been confirmed yet.
Delivery sectors are currently undergoing multiple regulatory changes. Last month, the TN government had banned bike taxi operations but it was struck down by the Madras HC owing to the high demand for bike taxi rides in the state of Tamil Nadu.
