Zomato’s Blinkit Launches 10-Minute Ambulance Service

Blinkit has announced it is piloting a first-of-its-kind online ambulance-hailing service on its quick-commerce app. Now available in Haryana ’s Gurugram, Blinkit Ambulance will allow users to book a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance through the app as and when it becomes available to more users.

“We are taking our first step towards solving the problem of providing quick and reliable ambulance service in our cities,” said Blinkit’s CEO Albinder Dhindsa.

Blinkit’s ambulances will be equipped with “essential life-saving equipment,” such as oxygen cylinders, AED (Automated External Defibrillator), stretcher, monitor, suction machine, and “essential” emergency medicines and injections. Each ambulance will have a paramedic, an assistant, and a trained driver “to make sure we are able to deliver the highest quality of service in time of need.”

Dhindsa said that the ambulance service is not part of the company’s profit-oriented goals, which is why Blinkit Ambulance will be available at an “affordable cost” for customers. He added that Blinkit will continue to invest in “solving this critical problem for the long term.” He is referring to the unavailability of good-quality ambulance services in less time.

Currently available in select areas of Gurugram, Blinkit will scale up the ambulance service to “all major cities” in the next two years. The quick commerce company said it has kicked off the pilot with five ambulances.

“Let's do our bit and make way for an ambulance always,” said Dhindsa, who received appreciation for the new initiative. Paytm co-founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma lauded Dhindsa's efforts, saying that it is a “very well thought-out use case.” He added, “Expecting it to become fully commercially successful and solve the ambulance issue in many more cities.”

The new service follows Blinkit's announcement that the platform reached the highest orders per minute on New Year 's Eve, and the most-sold commodity was condoms.