Swiggy's rapid delivery service, Bolt, has expanded its reach to more than 400 cities and towns across India.  

The service can now deliver orders from 40,000 restaurants within just 10 minutes as reported by CNBC.  

Bolt caters to the demand for quick meals by offering items that require minimal or no preparation time. 

Launched on 4 October 2024, Bolt initially operated in major cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and New Delhi. 

The expansion has now extended to emerging and smaller urban centres such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Indore, along with many Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. 

The highest adoption rates for Bolt have been observed in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

To maintain the safety of their delivery partners and ensure speedy service, Swiggy does not differentiate between Bolt and regular orders for the delivery executives, nor does it offer incentives for faster delivery.  

Instead, it optimises speed by assigning the nearest available delivery executive to Bolt orders.

Swiggy is collaborating with restaurants to streamline order prioritisation for Bolt services, ensuring quick delivery.

This includes partnerships with international chains such as KFC and McDonald's, and with local outlets such as Gwalia Sweets in Ahmedabad and Shiraz in Kolkata.  

In smaller cities, including Guntur and Mangalore, establishments such as Varalakshmi Tiffins and Akhshay Tiffins are seeing 10% of their orders coming through Bolt. 

Swiggy chief executive officer Rohit Kapoor said: “Bolt is changing the way customers are experiencing food. With all the customer love we’ve received so far as well as the growing excitement from both national and local restaurants, expanding Bolt was an easy decision. We’re thrilled to bring this experience to even more cities and homes.” 

The move by Swiggy comes at a time when consumer expectations are increasingly leaning towards instant gratification — a trend bolstered by the rise of quick commerce.  

In November 2024, Swiggy unveiled three new programmes to enhance support for its restaurant partners.   

The initiatives include kitchen equipment procurement support, hygiene audits and professional photoshoot services, all designed to boost operational efficiency, maintain hygiene standards and improve customer engagement.