Swiggy has quietly hit pause on its hyperlocal courier service, Swiggy Genie, across key metros including Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Pune. The feature, once a go-to for users needing items picked up and dropped off within the city, now shows up as “temporarily unavailable” in most areas on the app.
This silent retreat comes on the heels of a major expansion push for Swiggy’s ultra-fast food delivery arm, Bolt, which is now live in over 500 cities. While the company hasn’t issued a formal press release on Genie’s status, it acknowledged on social media platform X that the service is currently shelved due to “operational constraints.”
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Genie’s pause isn’t a first. Back in 2022, the platform had scaled it down in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, citing the need to focus on its core food delivery business and the growing demand for Instamart, Swiggy’s quick commerce vertical.
Behind the scenes, the move points to a broader trend in the delivery world — where margins are tight, fuel prices are high, and retaining delivery partners is tougher than ever. As platforms face mounting pressure to do more with less, services like Genie, which rely heavily on logistical complexity and low-volume orders, are becoming harder to justify.
Swiggy’s rival Zomato is on a similar path. It recently pulled the plug on its 15-minute food delivery pilot, Zomato Instant, and shut down its home-cooked meal brand, Everyday, both of which struggled to find traction. In a note to shareholders, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal admitted these bets didn’t deliver meaningful results.
Meanwhile, Bolt is charging ahead. Launched in October 2024, the lightning-fast delivery feature has quickly grown into a major part of Swiggy’s business, now accounting for over 10% of total orders. Bolt promises meals in under 10 minutes, thanks to a deep partnership network of 45,000+ restaurants, including big names like McDonald’s, KFC, and Subway.
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Swiggy’s latest shuffle signals a clear shift: prioritize services that scale fast, generate stronger margins, and tap into consumer impatience — even if it means shelving legacy features like Genie for now.
