ixigo To Offer Delhi Metro Tickets In Bid To Boost User Base

In a bid to widen its user base and diversify its revenue stream, listed online travel aggregator (OTA) ixigo has entered into the daily commute segment with a partnership with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). 

With this, users of ixigo Trains app can seamlessly book QR-based metro tickets on the app. ixigo is giving 100% cashback (up to INR 50) as “ixigo money” on tickets booked between 09:00 to 11:00 to lure users to the new offering. Without considering this cashback, the charges for booking tickets on the app are at par with regular prices for the DMRC.

Speaking with Inc42, ixigo CEO Alok Bajpai said that the company is entering the intracity segment with an objective to allow customers get “first-mile and last-mile connectivity” within the app. 

“Initially, we are thinking of this as a new utility that we are enabling. The short-term objective here is not monetisation but to get an understanding of the use cases of this offering for the consumers. Gradually, we will optimise for those use cases and then think of monetisation,” he added.

Bajpai said that the company plans to expand the intracity commute offering to other cities also in partnership with the ONDC. Besides DMRC, the government-backed network has integrations with Chennai Metro, Kochi Metro and Bengaluru Metro currently.

Notably, a number of other consumer-facing apps like EaseMyTrip, RedBus (MakeMyTrip entity), NammaYatri, Uber, Rapido, among others, also allow users to book metro tickets via partnership with the ONDC.

Responding to a question on differentiation from these apps, Bajpai said, “What would differentiate ixigo from the plethora of other players offering this service would be its ability to allow a customer book end-to-end journeys across trains, buses, flights, hotels, and metro on a single platform.” 

It is pertinent to note that ixigo’s train business is one of the biggest contributors to its top line. In Q1 FY26, the train business’ operating revenue increased 20% YoY to INR 129.9 Cr and its contribution margin grew 14% YoY to INR 41 Cr. 

To add on to the revenue generated from train offerings, the company also acquired a majority stake in train food delivery platform Zoop in October last year. In July this year, ixigo said it would acquire an additional 11% stake in Zoop.

In Q1 FY26, Zoop crossed 10,000 daily meal deliveries, with over 20 Lakh meals served across 200+ stations since October 2024, ixigo said. 

Overall, ixigo reported a consolidated net profit of INR 18.9 Cr in Q1 FY26, an increase of 27% from INR 14.9 Cr in the year-ago quarter. Its operating revenue for the quarter surged 73% to INR 314.5 Cr from INR 181.9 Cr in Q1 FY25. 

Shares of ixigo have been on a bull run on the bourses since its Q1 disclosures on July 16, surging over 72%. The stock touched a fresh all-time high of INR 329.90 yesterday. 

However, the company’s shares ended today’s trading session 3.81% lower at INR 309.35 on the BSE.