India-based food delivery platform Swiggy has increased its platform fee on food delivery orders by 50% from Rs2 ($0.024) to Rs3 ($0.036), the Economic Times (ET) reported.

The new tariff rate was initially implemented in the southern Indian cities of Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

The food delivery platform intends to roll out the increased platform fees across other cities in the country.

Swiggy currently offers a discount of Rs2 after charging a platform fee of Rs5, indicating that the fee could rise further, according to the news agency.

Swiggy's business rival Zomato has also started levying a platform fee of Rs2, which has been increased to Rs3 in some locations.

With such hikes, the food delivery platforms aim to improve their unit economics by increasing the take rate, or money they make on every order.

Earlier this month, Swiggy launched the Swiggy One Lite membership programme, which gives its members benefits ranging from free food deliveries to exclusive offers and discounts.

Customers selecting a three-month Swiggy One Lite membership will receive ten free food deliveries on food orders above Rs149. They will also get ten free grocery deliveries on Swiggy Instamart orders above Rs199.

In addition to free deliveries, Swiggy One Lite members will also receive additional discounts of up to 30% across 20,000+ restaurants. The programme was also offered as a B2B membership, bundled with products of large brand partners in telecom and banking.