Uber taps ONDC for Delhi metro tickets, eyes B2B logistics push

Uber also plans to launch business-to-business (B2B) logistics through ONDC in the near future, starting with facilitating food deliveries.

Ride-hailing platform Uber India on May 19 announced its integration with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) by rolling out metro ticketing on the Uber app, starting with the Delhi Metro. The service will go live in three more cities this year.

Notably, Uber will not be offering ride-hailing services through ONDC at this stage—much like its primary competitor in India, Ola, which integrated with ONDC in August 2023. Ola currently focuses on logistics and retail services through the network, without including ride-hailing.

Uber also plans to launch business-to-business (B2B) logistics through ONDC in the near future, starting with facilitating food deliveries. The service will allow businesses to tap into Uber’s delivery network on demand, without needing their own fleets. It is designed to eventually scale to e-commerce, grocery, pharmacy, and healthcare logistics.

For metro rides, Uber has partnered with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) using ONDC’s interoperable backend infrastructure, which has enabled the company to launch this service significantly faster than it would have through a direct integration. Starting May 19, Uber users in Delhi can plan metro journeys, purchase QR-based tickets, and access real-time transit information—all within the Uber app. Payments are supported exclusively via UPI.

"India has taken an impressive leap in building population-scale technology through its Digital Public Infrastructure like ONDC and we are thrilled to integrate with them to bring metro ticketing to the Uber app, bringing us one step closer to our vision of being a one-stop shop for mobility needs," said Praveen Neppalli Naga, Chief Technology Officer, Uber.

This marks Uber’s first integration with India’s digital public infrastructure and builds on a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year during CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s India visit. It also strengthens Uber’s multimodal offering—adding metro to its existing lineup of two-wheelers, autos, cars, and buses.

“ONDC is still at a very early stage, it is a breakthrough concept. We are starting off with metro ticketing, and B2B logistics, and will continue to explore and add more services in the future,” said Prabhjeet Singh, President, India and South Asia, Uber. “This is a complementary service for existing riders, and brings newer consumers to the Uber network…We feel there is real value in that multi-modality, being the singular go-to platform for all your mobility needs.”

Vibhor Jain, Acting CEO and COO at ONDC, called Uber’s onboarding “a significant step in expanding access to trusted, interoperable digital infrastructure in India.” He added that metro ticketing and logistics enable “seamless multimodal journeys” and lay the groundwork for more innovation on the network.

Notably, this also marks the first such integration by a network participant since Vibhor Jain took over as acting CEO and COO of ONDC earlier this year.

The move comes at a time when ONDC’s monthly transaction volume remained flat in April at 1.6 crore transactions, though that’s significantly higher than 73 lakh transactions a year ago. ONDC transactions are broadly classified into three categories: mobility (ride-hailing), retail (food, grocery, fashion, and electronics), and logistics.

While mobility orders—which make up the bulk of ONDC’s transaction volume—increased from 90 lakh in March to 93 lakh in April, retail orders fell from 47 lakh to 43 lakh over the same period, hitting an 11-month low. Logistics orders remained flat at 24 lakh in April, according to ONDC’s open source data.

Uber’s integration, particularly in urban public transport and logistics, could help ONDC deepen its presence in underpenetrated segments as retail plateaus. However, whether the partnership can buoy logistics volumes remains to be seen.