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CCPA probes Ola, Rapido, other ride-hailing apps on advance tipping

CCPA probes Ola, Rapido, other ride-hailing apps on advance tipping

Time of India23-05-2025

Consumer protection watchdog
CCPA
is investigating
ride-hailing platforms
like
Ola Cabs
and Rapido to ascertain if they are indulging in the unfair trade practice of '
advance tipping
'. On Wednesday, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a notice to Uber for allegedly "forcing or nudging" users to pay advance tips for faster service.
"CCPA is investigating other apps like @Olacabs and @rapidobikeapp, they will also be served notice if they are found indulging in such practices,"
Union Consumer Affairs Minister
Pralhad Joshi
said in a post on X on Thursday.
Joshi, on Wednesday, said the practice of 'Advance Tip' was deeply concerning.
"Forcing or nudging users to pay a tip in advance for faster service is unethical and exploitative. Such actions fall under unfair trade practices," the minister had said, adding that tipping is meant as a token of appreciation, given after service completion, not as an entitlement beforehand.

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Can JioMart, Rapido change the game for Eternal, Swiggy? Deven Choksey answers
Can JioMart, Rapido change the game for Eternal, Swiggy? Deven Choksey answers

Economic Times

timean hour ago

  • Economic Times

Can JioMart, Rapido change the game for Eternal, Swiggy? Deven Choksey answers

Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Also Read: Nexus Venture to invest Rs 125 crore in Rapido ahead of food delivery launch Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads , MD,, says coming to cash rich platform companies, while there's conversation about Eternal , Rapido and Swiggy , we are undermining the big elephant sitting in the room – JioMart . They have started the deliveries without charging the platform fees , whereas the likes of Blinkit and Swiggy charge fees. Players like JioMart with a significantly large amount of cash rich abilities can counter these kind of players in the the same time, most of these companies from investment perspective when we look at them, they are actually quoting at a fancy valuation s given the fact that they have been succeeding with the price hike and the charges, these fancy valuations might get affected if the competition like JioMart could start penetrating faster and could possibly create disruption with them. So, let us see how it goes, but not very comfortable because of the valuation also at the same time.I do not know whether it is sluggishness, but I do agree with one thing that the markets are basically moving with the rotational preferences. The RBI has brought down the rate of interest and infused the liquidity to CRR cut. Most of the banking stocks have started to find themselves in the favour also from the perspective of momentum as a result of which, some of the other stocks are not catching up with this momentum and are getting less preference which is remains by and large a market where a higher amount of momentum-based trading activity is happening. Also as valuations are otherwise reasonably priced, they are more or less discounting FY27 earnings from the perspective of whatever earning growth we are experiencing currently. I guess till '27, most of the stocks are fully priced in, as a result of which the markets because of the liquidity as well are basically showing higher amount of churn in the portfolios of some of the that is a way to operate this market and in such kind of a situation, when individual stocks correct or provide opportunity in the price corrections, that becomes a buy opportunity in my viewpoint and that could include some of the select ones – be it in the area of metal and commodities or auto and auto ancillaries, where we remain confident about the growth prospects going are not so bullish about these companies particularly because they are driven significantly by some of the variables which are not in control of companies. For example, the government policy is controlling the gas price. We ourselves do not find it very comfortable with this particular space at all because the smallest factor could possibly affect the business of these said that, from the utility perspective, these companies have created a significantly large amount of distribution points with the end consumer, be it on a B2B side of the activity where they would supply to the bulk consumers like gas stations. Otherwise, this is being supplied through the pipe gas to the consumers in general. In my view, both B2B, B2C models are definitely existing distribution points well connected. The fact remains that it is dependent on the government policies and that is why we are not very confident about putting a confirmed recommendation or confident touched upon a very important point. As for cash rich, I believe that while we are talking about Eternal, we are talking about Rapido, we are probably undermining the big elephant sitting in the room which is JioMart. They have already started the deliveries without charging the platform fees, whereas the likes of Blinkit and Swiggy charge fees. On multiple instances, be it from the customer they charge the platform access fees or be it from the hoteliers for whose food they are supplying or even for that matter other areas in which they are operating, I believe this is going to get significantly challenged with the players like JioMart who are having a significantly large amount of cash rich abilities to counter these kind of players in the the same time, most of these companies from investment perspective when we look at them, they are actually quoting at a fancy valuations given the fact that they have been succeeding with the price hike and the charges, these fancy valuations might get affected if the competition like JioMart could start penetrating faster and could possibly create disruption with them. So, let us see how it goes, but not very comfortable because of the valuation also at the same time.

Rapido crashes food delivery party. Should Swiggy and Eternal investors be worried?
Rapido crashes food delivery party. Should Swiggy and Eternal investors be worried?

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

Rapido crashes food delivery party. Should Swiggy and Eternal investors be worried?

Just when Swiggy and Zomato thought they had the food delivery turf locked down, ride-hailing app Rapido has kicked the door open, threatening to shake up the duopoly with a bold, undercutting strategy. The bike-taxi platform has entered the food delivery business, charging restaurants commissions nearly half of what Zomato and Swiggy do. That single move has already jolted investor sentiment. Shares of Swiggy and its listed parent, Eternal , slid 2–3% in the previous session and fell another 1% today, as investors absorbed the news of Rapido's entry. Elara Capital's Karan Taurani didn't hold back: 'Rapido could challenge stable take-rates and profitability of the incumbents,' he said, warning that while Rapido's lack of a dedicated fleet may impact delivery experience in a market obsessed with sub-30-minute fulfillment, its growing scale could still disrupt the status quo. Rapido's commission model is a flat 8–15%, far below the 21–22% rates charged by Zomato and Swiggy. This pricing gap not only threatens to raise rider earnings but also reduce delivery costs — a double whammy for incumbents used to commanding premium take-rates. Elara's sensitivity analysis suggests that even a 200 bps drop in revenue growth or a 10% compression in valuation multiple for Eternal's food delivery business could drag the target price down 6%, from Rs 300 to Rs 282. 'Rapido's sharp scale-up could risk the stable operational environment,' Taurani added, noting that Zomato and Swiggy's food delivery segments are now decade-old, mature businesses aiming for 5% adjusted EBITDA margins. The Rapido Advantage Unlike ONDC, Ola, or Thrive, Rapido brings serious logistics muscle. With 4 million riders clocking 3–3.5 million daily rides, it already dwarfs Zomato's and Swiggy's fleets (0.44 million and 0.53 million, respectively). These riders operate with idle time that can be easily redirected to food delivery without fresh capex—boosting utilization and trimming costs. Further, Rapido's 'Captain's App' aims to consolidate rides, parcels, and food into one job list, optimizing distance and maximizing rider earnings through dynamic algorithmic assignments. The company has also gained early experience delivering food via ONDC, giving it a running start. With a recent Rs 241 crore ($29 million) fundraise in December 2024, valuing it at $1.1 billion (total raise so far: $559 million), Rapido may not require the kind of heavy marketing spend that defined the early years of food tech in India. For context, Zomato spent over Rs 3,300 crore ($400 million) on advertising and promotion between FY20–22 to build out its platform. Also read | Confused between Swiggy and Zomato? Retail investors, HNIs say: Why not both Market Saturation and Structural Limits Still, scaling won't be easy. The penetration of chain restaurants in India is just 5%, compared to 25–29% in developed markets, which limits take-rate expansion. Additionally, the growth rate in online food delivery has cooled, dropping to 15–16% YoY from a blistering ~40% CAGR between CY18–23. That plateau has kept investor focus sharp. Morgan Stanley, in a report last week, initiated coverage on Swiggy with an Overweight rating and a target price of Rs 405, citing improved execution and total addressable market (TAM) expansion in quick commerce. The firm expects Swiggy to grow its gross order value (GOV) at a 63% CAGR between FY25–28, regaining some lost share, though it still lags Zomato by ~15% in market share and by two years on adjusted EBITDA. Morgan Stanley also valued Swiggy's food delivery segment at about 52% of Eternal's, reinforcing how tightly the two giants are being compared—and how even a small crack could ripple across valuations. While execution remains the big question mark for Rapido, its aggressive pricing, strong logistics backbone, and existing user base could push Zomato and Swiggy into a corner—where measured profitability may have to give way to market defence.

Cred's down round; Blinkit's food safety woes
Cred's down round; Blinkit's food safety woes

Economic Times

time4 hours ago

  • Economic Times

Cred's down round; Blinkit's food safety woes

Happy Tuesday! Cred has raised fresh funding at a steep cut in valuation. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch. Also in the letter: ■ Kaynes , L&T Semicon's new deal■ Renesas on Wolfspeed impact■ Swiggy, Eternal suffer on the bourses Cred raises fresh funds from GIC, others; valuation cut by 45% to $3.5 billion Fintech major Cred has raised Rs 617 crore (around $72 million) in fresh funding at a sharply reduced valuation of $3.5 billion, down from its $6.4 billion peak in 2022. ET was the first to report about the down round on April 14. Deal details: The round was entirely primary capital. GIC's Lathe Investment led the round with Rs 354 crore. RTP Global invested Rs 74 crore, Sofina Ventures also participated Rs 25.8 crore. QED Innovation Labs, Kunal Shah's family office, put in Rs 162 crore. Context: The markdown comes even as Cred's FY24 revenue jumped 66% to Rs 2,473 crore. However, losses widened 22% to Rs 1,644 crore. 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Customers are charged goods and services tax (GST) on the rain fee, which was meant to incentivise delivery partners, prompting backlash on social media. Kaynes Semicon, L&T Semiconductor Technologies to acquire Fujitsu General's OSAT business Mysuru-based Kaynes Semicon and Bengaluru-based L&T Semiconductor Technologies (LTSCT) are acquiring the outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) power modules business of Japan's Fujitsu General for Rs. 118.34 crore. Deal details: Fujitsu is transferring its power module production facilities to Kaynes. Kaynes, which already manufactures for LTSCT, will produce these modules LTSCT's behalf. The transaction is expected to close on June 23, subject to regulatory approval under Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Why now: Raghu Panicker, chief executive, Kaynes Semicon, told us, 'The new OSAT facility being set up in Sanand, Gujarat, is launching its operations with a focus on the global power device packaging market.' This move is backed by two major developments: a multi-million-dollar, high-volume service agreement with its customer Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOS) and the acquisition of three power packaging lines from Fujitsu Electronics Limited, Japan, he explained. Other Top Stories By Our Reporters Situation involving Wolfspeed will have no impact on India OSAT: Renesas | Japanese chipmaker Renesas has stated that the situation involving Wolfspeed will have "no impact" on its OSAT project in India. Reports of a potential bankruptcy filing by the US-based silicon carbide (SiC) wafer maker have been sending shockwaves through the global semiconductor industry, with experts suggesting that it could affect Murugappa group-owned CG Power's forthcoming outsourced semiconductor assembly and test facility (OSAT) in Sanand. Shares of Eternal, Swiggy drop as Rapido undercuts food delivery commission: Shares of Zomato's parent company, Eternal, and its rival, Swiggy, fell by as much as 2.5% and 4% on Monday following an ET report stating that Rapido plans to launch its food delivery services this month, offering significantly lower commissions to restaurants compared to the two major players. Krutrim announces agentic AI assistant 'Kruti', to launch on June 12: Bhavish Aggarwal's artificial intelligence (AI) company Krutrim on Monday announced its agentic assistant 'Kruti', months after the founder first teased the chatbot. In a post on X, Krutrim said Kruti, India's first agentic AI assistant, "listens, adapts and acts proactively, purposefully and in your language". Global Picks We Are Reading ■ Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning digital ID project to launch in UK (FT) ■ Inside the race to find GPS alternatives (MIT Technology Review) ■ Silicon Valley led the quest for driverless cars. But Chinese robotaxis are catching up fast (Rest of World)

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