FY25 Financial Turnaround and Strategic Expansion
Roppen Transportation Services, operating as Rapido, has posted robust financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025. Total income climbed to ₹1,002.9 crore, a significant 44% leap from the previous year. This surge is primarily driven by its core mobility and expanding delivery businesses, demonstrating effective operating leverage. The company's strategic focus on scaling operations while managing costs has led to a substantial reduction in net losses, which fell 30% year-on-year to ₹258.4 crore from ₹370.7 crore in the previous fiscal.
Despite a 19% increase in total expenses to ₹1,261.3 crore, Rapido's revenue growth outpaced cost increases. Employee benefits saw an uptick to ₹207 crore, reflecting expansion in headcount and stock-based compensation. Other operational costs, including rider incentives and marketing, rose to ₹1,048.7 crore. Finance costs and depreciation remained nominal, signalling a lean operational structure.
Ownly: Rapido's Bold Entry into Food Delivery
This improved financial footing coincides with Rapido's strategic diversification into the highly competitive food delivery market with its new app, Ownly. Launched in Bengaluru, Ownly aims to disrupt the space by operating on a zero-commission model. This strategy seeks to attract both customers, by offering offline-equivalent prices, and restaurants, by eliminating high platform fees. Rapido plans to utilize its extensive existing network of approximately 30 million monthly active users and 4 million monthly rides across over 500 cities to fulfill these food orders.
Investor Moves Amidst Growth
The company's financial progress is drawing renewed investor attention. TVS Motor Company recently announced its agreement to divest shares worth ₹287.93 crore in Rapido to Accel and Prosus. This transaction signals ongoing capital market activity around the ride-hailing unicorn, which achieved unicorn status in July 2024 after raising $120 million. Founded in 2015, Rapido competes vigorously with established players like Ola and Uber in India's dynamic ride-hailing sector.