Rapido ties up with Big Basket, Big Bazaar & Spencer's for essential deliveries amid lockdown

Rapido deploys its bike-taxi fleet for last-mile essential supply deliveries across 90 cities during India's COVID-19 lockdown, partnering with Big Basket, Big Bazaar and Spencer's Retail. Talks are underway with Grofers, Dunzo and FreshtoHome to expand the network.

— FiledThu, 16 Jul, 2026, 05:37 IST·First seen Thu, 16 Jul, 2026, 05:36 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

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

Key facts

  • 90 cities
  • 70 percent of fleet
  • 118 lives
  • 4,300 cases

Why this matters

The multi-retailer tie-up and pipeline of grocery-delivery partners position Rapido as an attractive last-mile logistics acquisition or integration target for grocery and quick-commerce players seeking instant fleet scale.

What to watch

  • Lockdown extension or phased easing timelines across the 90 cities
  • Regulatory clarity on bike-taxi legality shifting toward goods vs passenger permits
  • Order volume retention rate 4-8 weeks after grocery supply normalizes
  • Competing fleets (Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato) announcing similar essential-delivery pivots
  • Announcement of formal exclusivity or equity between Rapido and a grocery major
  • Rapido closes Grofers, Dunzo, FreshtoHome tie-ups to reach cross-category delivery scale
  • Retailers formalize per-order/SLA pricing to lock in flexible surge capacity
  • Rapido launches a dedicated logistics/delivery brand or API for merchant onboarding
  • Insurance, PPE and contactless-delivery protocols rolled out to protect captains