Uber joins ONDC to offer metro ticketing in Delhi, eyes B2B logistics

Uber plans to expand metro ticketing to three more cities by end-2025 and launch B2B logistics on ONDC, starting with food delivery and scaling to other sectors

Ride-hailing giant Uber has partnered with the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to allow users to book metro train tickets in Delhi. Uber also plans to expand the metro ticketing service to three additional cities by the end of the ongoing calendar year, the company said on Monday. The initiative follows a similar move by rival Rapido earlier this year.

 

In addition, Uber is planning to launch business-to-business (B2B) logistics services through ONDC, allowing businesses to request on-demand logistics from the platform’s delivery network. Uber currently has a network of 1.4 million drivers.

 

“The service will initially facilitate food deliveries, with its underlying technology designed to scale into sectors like e-commerce, grocery, pharmacy and healthcare logistics,” the company said in a statement.

 

The integration for metro ticketing stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed last year during the visit of Uber’s chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi to India. At that time, Uber had committed to collaborating with ONDC to enhance the reach and impact of India's digital public goods.

 

Uber users in the national capital can now purchase QR-based metro tickets within the Uber app.

 

“With the addition of Delhi Metro ticketing, Uber aims to strengthen its multi-modal offerings, which already include two-wheelers, autos, cars and buses, making it easier for riders to plan and complete their journeys seamlessly within a single app,” the statement read. 

 

The functionality has been enabled through ONDC’s interoperable network, connecting Uber with public transport infrastructure. Payments for metro ticketing will be exclusively supported through UPI.

 

“Partnering with ONDC to bring metro ticketing to the Uber app brings us one step closer to our vision of being a one-stop shop for mobility needs,” said Praveen Neppalli Naga, chief technology officer at Uber.

 

Prabhjeet Singh, president of Uber India and South Asia, stated that the company would continue to add more services, although he did not provide specific details. On the addition of new cities, Singh said: “We will share more on that soon. All of them will be integrated through ONDC. We are actively collaborating as those networks come online. There will be a combination of different metro networks across the country, and we will continue to leverage the ONDC infrastructure.”

 

The ONDC platform follows a no-commission model, replacing traditional aggregator commissions with a subscription-based system. Uber adopted a similar approach in February, introducing a zero-commission model for auto-rickshaws in India.