Delhi Metro ticketing goes live on Uber app; more cities, B2B logistics up next

New Delhi: Ride-hailing platform Uber on Monday announced the rollout of metro ticketing on the Uber app, powered by the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), starting with Delhi Metro.

After Delhi, three more cities across India are slated to go live in 2025, Uber said, adding it will soon launch B2B logistics via the ONDC network, a solution that will allow businesses to request on-demand logistics from Uber's delivery network, without needing their own fleet. The service will initially facilitate food deliveries, with its underlying technology designed to scale to sectors such as e-commerce, grocery, pharmacy, and healthcare logistics.

"Uber today announced the rollout of metro ticketing on the Uber app, powered by the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), with Delhi Metro going live as the first launch city. This marks Uber's first integration with India's pioneering digital public infrastructure and a major step forward in making public transport more connected," the company said.

This move follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024 during Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's visit to India, where Uber committed to collaborating with ONDC to advance the reach and impact of India's digital public goods.

"Today's launch is a tangible realisation of that commitment, reinforcing Uber's mission to make urban mobility more inclusive, sustainable, and seamlessly connected," the company said.

Praveen Neppalli Naga, Chief Technology Officer, Uber, said, "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."

Vibhor Jain, Acting CEO and COO at ONDC termed Uber joining the network as a significant step in expanding access to trusted, interoperable digital infrastructure in India.

"As a global platform, Uber's initial enablement of metro ticketing and logistics unlocks new possibilities, from seamless multimodal journeys to unifying a fragmented logistics ecosystem. This collaboration lays the foundation for future innovations from Uber on the Network, enhancing value for users, partners, and the broader mobility and services landscape," Jain said.

Beginning Monday, Uber users in the national capital will be able to plan their metro journeys, purchase QR-based tickets, and access real-time transit information, within the Uber app.

"We announced our MoU with ONDC last year, this is ONDC still very early in its stage. It is a breakthrough concept but we are starting off right now with metro ticketing, we will continue to add more services. We have also pre-announced the launch of logistics...We have a large consumer and an earner base and they will benefit from participation in the ONDC network," Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia said at the conference.

Uber has a network of 1.4 million drivers.

The company further said it will shortly launch business-to-business logistics via the ONDC network, that will enable businesses to seek on-demand logistics from Uber’s delivery network.

This will also serve as an incremental earning opportunity for Uber’s 1.4-million-strong driver network, according to the company.

By integrating with ONDC, Uber will be accessible to a wide ecosystem of sellers and platforms, empowering businesses - small and large - to reach more customers efficiently through a plug-and-play logistics layer.

In the backdrop of rising competition in India’s mobility sector, Uber has been expanding the length and breadth of its offerings beyond four-wheeler taxis, bike taxis, and buses through Uber Shuttle.

With an eye on India’s booming on-demand logistics space, Uber recently announced the launch of Courier XL in India, a new category under its logistics product, Courier, enabling deliveries of large goods, with a few taps on the app. Backed by both three and four-wheeler goods carriers, Courier XL promises to offer a fast, flexible, and tech-enabled solution for heavier shipments.