Zomato axes colour-coded veg fleet day after launch amid row: Explained

Zomato had earlier announced an exclusive "pure veg mode" and "pure veg fleet" for its vegetarian customers but scrapped the colour-based fleet plan after a social media backlash

Food delivery platform Zomato on Wednesday announced it has decided to roll back the colour-based 'pure veg fleet', announced by CEO Deepinder Goyal a day before. 

"While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will wear the colour red," Goyal said in a follow-up post on the social media platform 'X'.

Update on our pure veg fleet —

While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will…

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 20, 2024

 

What did Zomato roll back the colour-coded 'pure veg fleet'?

The development followed after a massive social media outcry over concerns about "discrimination" against the regular fleet, which would have been delivering meals prepared by restaurants that do not exclusively serve vegetarian food.

Goyal's earlier announcement revealed that the company plans regular fleet delivery persons to wear red uniforms, while the deliveries carrying orders from vegetarian restaurants exclusively, would wear green uniforms.

Also Read: 'All riders wear red': Zomato drops green colour from pure veg fleet

"We are launching a 'pure veg mode' along with a 'pure veg fleet' on Zomato, for customers who have a 100 per cent vegetarian dietary preference," he had said on Tuesday.

"This means a non-veg meal, or even a veg meal served by a non-veg restaurant will never go inside the green delivery box meant for our pure veg fleet," he added. 

What happens to 'pure veg mode' after controversy?

According to Zomato's revised plan, the fleet meant for vegetarian orders will not be identifiable on the ground (but will show on the app that your veg orders will be served by the veg only fleet), Goyal explained.

He said the move was aimed at ensuring that red uniform delivery partners "are not incorrectly associated with non-veg food, and blocked by any resident welfare association or RWAs or societies during any special days."

Goyal said the social media discourse over Zomato's announcement made the food delivery major realise that the colour-coded uniforms could lead to trouble for delivery persons and even customers. "We now realise that even some of our customers could get into trouble with their landlords, and that would not be a nice thing if that happened because of us."

"…Our riders' physical safety is of paramount importance to us," he added.