Rapido partners Big Basket, Big Bazaar & Spencer's for essential deliveries during Covid lockdown

Rapido tied up with Big Basket, Big Bazaar and Spencer's Retail to run last-mile essential deliveries across 90 Indian cities during the COVID-19 lockdown, deploying 70% of its driver fleet at no commission.

— FiledWed, 8 Jul, 2026, 16:35 IST·First seen Wed, 8 Jul, 2026, 16:35 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

Rapido partnered with Big Basket, Big Bazaar and Spencer's Retail for last-mile essential deliveries across 90 Indian cities during the COVID-19 lockdown,

Key facts

  • 90 cities
  • 70 percent of fleet

Why this matters

Grocers like Big Basket, Big Bazaar and Spencer's tapping an existing rider network points to delivery-capacity partnerships—rather than owned fleets—as a fast, scalable option worth evaluating for last-mile buildout.

What to watch

  • Announcement of commission-bearing contracts replacing zero-commission arrangement
  • Lockdown relaxation timelines restoring mobility demand
  • Competitor partnership announcements (Dunzo/Swiggy) with same retailers
  • Rapido funding rounds or investor commentary citing delivery vertical
  • Retailer commentary on in-house vs outsourced last-mile strategy
  • Rapido negotiates paid per-order rates as lockdown eases to monetize the goodwill period
  • Big Basket and Spencer's diversify delivery vendors to de-risk single-partner dependence
  • Rapido launches a dedicated logistics/delivery vertical brand distinct from bike-taxi
  • Driver incentive programs to retain redeployed fleet across use cases