'15 lakh delivery partners worked with Zomato in CY24, saw earnings rise'

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, while sharing the details of the food-tech major's shareholders’ letter, said in 2024 alone, over 15 lakh partners chose to work with the company, with those working at least 8 hours per day seeing an increase in monthly earnings. The company's insurance payout also saw an increase, while the number of those working part-time increased in CY24.

Taking to X, Gotal wrote for those working for at least 8 hours per day, average monthly earnings reached approximately INR 28,000. The data shared by the food-tech platform shows the average monthly earnings of Zomato delivery partners, who logged in eight hours per day and 26 days per month, rising marginally in CY24 to ₹27,726 per month from ₹27,109 in CY23 and ₹25,112 in CY22. "Even when factoring in estimated fuel costs (~INR 5,000 per month), this income remains highly competitive compared to other available options to them," he adds.

He says all delivery partners onboarded with the company are by default covered under its delivery partner insurance policy, which includes accident, death and health coverage, amongst other benefits. "In fact, claims paid to partners have exceeded ₹53 crore annually, with 55% of 2024 claims covering non-accident medical expenses." The insurance claims in CY23 were ₹43.6 crore and ₹30.4 crore in CY22.

The shareholders' letter details, show there has been a consistent decline in average days logged in per year and average hours logged in per day over the years. The average logged-in days for CY24 stood at 46, down from 51 last year, while the average logged-in hours fell to 7 hours from 7.1 last year. Zomato says most deliveries prefer to work part-time with the company at the time of their convenience.

Goyal says its partners have the flexibility to earn year-round, logging in at any time. "While many choose to partner with us part-time for supplemental income, others work seasonally or during specific times of the day, tailoring their schedules to fit their lives."

The Zomato founder says the company takes pride in the positive impact it's having on the livelihoods of its partners.

The restaurant aggregator and food delivery company posted a 57% year-on-year (YoY) decline in profit after tax (PAT) at ₹59 crore in the third quarter of the financial year 2024-25, compared with ₹138 crore in the year-ago period. It had reported a profit of ₹176 crore in Q2 FY25. The bottom line was impacted by higher expenses amid an aggressive store expansion spree for its quick commerce business, Blinkit. The revenue from operations climbed 64% YoY to ₹5,404 crore, from ₹3,288 crore in the same period last year. It posted a revenue of ₹4,799 crore in the September quarter of FY25.

On the operational front, Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) rose to ₹162 crore, compared to ₹51 crore in Q3 FY24, while margin expanded by 140 basis points to 3% from 1.6% earlier. The gross order value (GOV) of its B2C business (quick commerce, food delivery, and going-out) was up 57% to ₹20,206 crore in Q3 FY25. Sequentially, the GOV inched up by 2%, which was attributed to a broad-based demand slowdown in the food delivery business.

The quick commerce arm Blinkit reported a (EBITDA) loss of ₹103 crore in Q3 FY25 compared to a loss of ₹89 crore in the same period last year. On a sequential basis, the adjusted EBITDA loss is significantly higher than ₹8 crore registered in Q2 FY25. Its revenue jumped over 117% YoY to ₹1,399 crore, compared to ₹644 crore in Q3 FY24.