Swiggy’s 10-minute food delivery service expands to 500 cities

Bengaluru-based listed food delivery major Swiggy has announced the rapid expansion of its 10-minute food delivery service, Bolt, now available in more than 500 cities across India. The growth comes in less than seven months since Bolt's launch in October 2024 and arrives just as rival Zomato shuts down its own fast-delivery experiment, citing weak demand and lack of profitability.

Bolt is now operational in both metros and smaller cities, with over 45,000 restaurants and QSR chains such as KFC, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Faasos, and Curefoods.

Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy Food Marketplace, said, "It's hard not to love Bolt when your food arrives faster, hotter, and just the way it's meant to be enjoyed. What makes it click isn't just speed, but the operations behind the scenes that make it all work."

Built on a model of operational intelligence, Bolt focuses on curated high-demand items that require minimal preparation, operating within a tight 2-km radius to maintain quality and consistency. More than 47 lakh dishes across 26 cuisines are now part of Bolt's offering—from local favourites like dosas and biryani to global bites like shakes and sandwiches.

Swiggy emphasised that delivery partners are not informed whether an order is from Bolt, and no incentives are linked to delivery speed, ensuring that safety remains a top priority.

"Bolt fits into the way people live today. You're hungry, you want something now, and you don't want to compromise," Kapoor said, adding that scaling to 500 cities in just a "few months has been incredible.”

Beyond convenience, Bolt is showing clear business results. Restaurants partnering with Bolt report faster order fulfilment, reduced wait times, and increased repeat purchases. For Swiggy, the feature is not just a value addition but a growth engine—new users joining via Bolt have shown retention rates 4 to 6% higher than the platform's average.