Swiggy is going an extra mile in promoting environment-friendly initiatives while delivering food. The Bengaluru-based startup said it has delivered over 1.5 million orders a month on cycles. Having announced the initiative in 2017, the food aggregator said these 1.5 million cycle rides have been completed in over 54 cities, with the most number of cyclists being in Bengaluru and Mumbai, news agency IANS reported.
“A couple of years back we initiated concerted efforts to make deliveries more sustainable for the environment. With close to 10,000 delivery partners on cycles each day, we have found that in some cities the average travel time for a delivery partner on cycles is lesser than bikes,” Srivats TS, Vice-President, Marketing, Swiggy, said in a statement.
“With the future heading towards more eco-friendly modes of transport, cycle and EV logistics will be the next game changer in food-tech and Swiggy wants to be at the forefront of driving that change,” Srivats said.
Swiggy also announced that it was piloting the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in 10 cities across the country. It is currently testing EVs from several logistic providers and encouraging the adoption of EVs by its delivery partners.
The company also noted the benefits of EV adoption, including a near 40 per cent drop in the running cost of the vehicles, which would result in higher payouts for its partners who own EVs.
Swiggy’s rival Zomato also introduced mechanical and electric bikes into its last-mile delivery fleet in February. The move is not only good for the environment but will also help tackle traffic and parking issues, especially in thinner lanes of the country, it had said in a press statement.
