Exclusive: Rapido Pilots Non-AC Cabs For Lower Fares

Ride-hailing unicorn Rapido is piloting a new feature which allows users to book non-AC cabs at lower fares.

The feature is currently available in Bengaluru. While booking a cab, the Rapido app provides the users the option to choose between “Cab AC” and “Cab Non AC”. 

As per the Rapido App, the feature is currently in beta stage. 

Queries sent to Rapido on the launch of the new feature didn’t receive any response till the time of publishing this story. 

With the launch, Rapido is likely looking at solving a key customer concern of drivers refusing to turn on AC. A number of complaints can be found on social media from customers about drivers of ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber and Rapido refusing to turn on air conditioning.

Last month, cab drivers of Ola, Uber and Rapido associated with the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union launched a ‘No-AC’ campaign in Hyderabad to highlight their financial difficulties amid declining per kilometre fares.

It is pertinent to mention that Namma Yatri also offers non-AC cab rental service.

Founded in 2015 by Rishikesh SR, Pavan Guntupalli, and Aravind Sanka, Rapido started as a platform to book bike taxis and autorickshaws. It entered the cab booking segment in December 2023.

Of late, the startup has been on a spree to launch new features and services to enhance user experience. For instance, it was reported in February that Rapido was mulling to launch an all-women “Pink” bike service in Karnataka by the end of 2025. 

Earlier this year, the ride-hailing giant unveiled its plans to expand its footprint to 500 cities across the country from 120 cities. Besides, it was also said to be exploring the food delivery space to take on Zomato and Swiggy and shore up its top line.

Amid the expansion plans, Rapido was also looking to raise INR 250 Cr (about $28.9 Mn) from Prosus. 

The startup, which recently turned 10-years-old, surpassed its competitors Ola and Uber in terms of number of app downloads in March 2025. Rapido’s driver app averaged more than 720K downloads per month when Ola and Uber’s driver apps in India each saw less than 500K monthly downloads. 

Similarly, its user app download touched the 7.3 Mn mark in March.

On the financial front, Rapido managed to trim its loss by more than 45% to INR 370 Cr in FY24 from INR 675 Cr in the previous fiscal year. Operating revenue zoomed 1.5X to INR 648.1 Cr from INR 443 Cr in FY23.