Swiggy launched its grocery delivery service Swiggy Stores in Bengaluru and Gurugram last year. The Bengaluru-based company is now reportedly ready to expand the coverage to the top 150 cities across the country.
The report comes from Times of India, saying the company is willing to utilize its 2.5 lakh fleet across 500 cities to deliver essential products, especially now that India is in a lockdown till April 14.
“This is wartime. We can open in as many cities as needed as it will take 1-2 days”, Swiggy COO Vivek Sundar told TNN. For it to happen, he said grocery stores should remain open without supply chain disruptions and the delivery fleet must be allowed to operate without harassment.
According to Sundar, almost 80-85 percent of Swiggy’s fleet is idle right now due to the ongoing pandemic. The report cites the shut down of various restaurants in major cities due to pressure from local authorities and physical abuse towards the delivery fleet for the downfall in order frequency.
“Our cancellation rates were 10x normal rate as restaurant staff was stuck or the delivery boy was not allowed to move. We are still struggling with beat cops on the ground even in cities like Bengaluru, which is in the best operational state in the country right now,” he added.
Notably, the state governments in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh have completely shut down online deliveries despite the instructions of the central government. Swiggy, however, claims to have taken several measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
