Rapido partners with ONDC to provide seamless CMRL metro ticket bookings

Bengaluru-based ride-hailing startup Rapido recently announced its partnership with the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to facilitate seamless booking of Chennai Metro Rail metro tickets.

Rapido said the partnership aims to integrate various modes of transportation within the Rapido app to offer a comprehensive solution for daily commute needs.

How will this partnership benefit commuters?

The partnership is expected to significantly ease the process of planning commutes by allowing users to book bike taxis, cabs, autos, and metro tickets all through the Rapido app's user-friendly interface.

With CMRL's daily passenger count reaching an impressive 2.66 lakh in 2023, Rapido expects the initiative will boost metro ticket purchases by at least 15%.

What does this mean for Chennai Metro?

Thiur M.A. Siddique, I.A.S, Managing Director of CMRL, highlighted the importance of this partnership, stating it opens up CMRL's ticketing services to a broader range of app developers. This move is expected to encourage innovation in integrated and multimodal transit solutions, benefiting not only Chennai's metro system but potentially other metro rail companies and transport operators as well.

Thiur M.A. Siddique, I.A.S, Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited, said, “By partnering with ONDC, CMRL is now completely opening up access to its ticketing application service, allowing a wide range of app developers to integrate their apps with the CMRL ticketing system. Surely, other metro rail companies, metropolitan transport companies and paratransit operators would soon connect to the open network."

Focused on providing holistic commuting solutions

Aravind Sanka, Co-Founder of Rapido, said said introducing metro ticket bookings on the Rapido app aims to streamline the daily commute for millions of Chennai residents. 

"The collaboration between Rapido and ONDC aligns with the vision of making transportation more accessible and also contributes to the larger narrative of a digitally empowered India. Rapido has expanded its horizons into multi-modal logistics, offering users the capability to book end-to-end commutes on the Rapido platform," Sanka added.

While the metro ticket booking feature is currently available for Android users, an iOS version is expected to be launched soon. 

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