Blinkit Ambulance To Cost Rs 2,500? Deepinder Goyal Explains Who Will Have To Pay, Netizens Back Him

Blinkit will charge Rs 2,500 for non-emergency ambulance transfers, Deepinder Goyal announced. Emergency ambulance bookings remain free. The decision follows a rise in requests for routine check-ups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers.

Why you may now have to pay Rs 2,500 for Blinkit Ambulance

Booking a Blinkit ambulance will no longer be free for every type of medical trip. Zomato founder and Eternal Vice Chairman Deepinder Goyal announced on Thursday that the company will introduce a charge of Rs 2,500 for non-emergency ambulance transfers. However, people requiring emergency medical assistance will continue to get the service free of cost.

The decision comes after the company noticed that an increasing number of people were booking its ambulances for routine hospital visits, medical check-ups and transfers from hospitals to their homes. Goyal said such bookings were taking emergency ambulances away from people who might need immediate medical attention.

I started Zomato with a spirit of service. Blinkit Ambulance is what that spirit of service looks like today.

In the last 2 years, we have served ~20,000 emergency cases (~42,000 cases in total). We haven't charged a single rupee for any of them. And we want to keep it that way.

With everything free, a growing share of bookings are for routine checkups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers, trips that an Uber or private transport could have handled just as easily. Every such booking keeps a fully equipped emergency ambulance with paramedics off the road when someone's life may depend on it.

So we are making a change from now onwards: Emergency transfers – free, as always. Non-emergency transfers – ₹2,500, charged after the trip. Broadly in line with what private ambulances charge. This money goes to Eternal Foundation, which runs these ambulances and will help us scale them even further.

We hope that this charge will dramatically drop the usage of our Ambulances for non-emergency cases. 10-minute ambulances have saved and can save thousands of lives, and we need to keep them available for emergencies that need them the most.

One more thing. Scaling high quality ambulances is hard. The biggest bottleneck is trained, empathic paramedics. Our training academy is scaling as fast as we can without compromising on quality, and @albinder and team are committed to bringing Blinkit Ambulance to all major cities in India in the next 2-4 years.

Stay well, and I pray you don't need us. @sparsh_sehgal – I wish your grandma a speedy recovery, and I am so glad we were able to be there on time.

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) November 5, 2026

But what exactly will the new charge cover? Will emergency ambulance bookings remain free? And why has Blinkit decided to introduce this fee? Here is everything you need to know.

Blinkit Ambulance: When Will You Have To Pay Rs 2,500?

According to Goyal, Blinkit will charge Rs 2,500 for each non-emergency ambulance transfer. The amount will be collected after the journey is completed.

These bookings include routine medical check-ups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers that do not require emergency medical assistance.

Goyal explained that many such trips could be managed using an ordinary taxi or private transport. However, when people book a fully equipped emergency ambulance for these journeys, it remains unavailable for someone facing a medical emergency.

The new charge is intended to discourage people from using emergency ambulances for routine travel. Goyal added that the fee is broadly in line with the charges of private ambulance services.

Will Blinkit Ambulance Be Free For Emergencies?

Yes. Emergency ambulance services will continue to be free, Goyal clarified.

He said the company had not charged patients for emergency cases since launching the service and wanted to maintain that policy.

According to Goyal, Blinkit has handled approximately 42,000 ambulance cases over the past two years. Of these, around 20,000 were emergency cases, and patients were not charged for any of them.

He said the growing number of non-emergency bookings was making it difficult to keep fully equipped ambulances and trained paramedics available for urgent medical situations.

Goyal believes the new pricing policy will help reduce unnecessary bookings and ensure emergency vehicles remain available when lives are at risk.

Where Will The Rs 2,500 Ambulance Fee Go?

The money collected from non-emergency transfers will go to the Eternal Foundation, which operates the ambulance service.

Goyal said the funds would help the foundation expand and scale its operations. The aim is to keep the emergency ambulance network available for people who genuinely need urgent medical assistance.

He also stressed that the company wants its 10-minute ambulance service to remain accessible during emergencies rather than being occupied by routine hospital journeys.

What Is Blinkit Ambulance Service?

Blinkit launched its 10-minute ambulance service in January 2025, starting with Gurugram. The service was introduced to provide quick access to basic emergency medical transport through the Blinkit app.

🚨 Just in 9 minutes:

At Rajeev Chowk, a Rapido rider was badly injured in an accident and could not move his hand. Witnesses called the Blinkit ambulance, which arrived in just 9 minutes. The rider, who suffered a major fracture, was provided quick care and admitted to the hospital. The entire service was completely free.

@letsblinkit Salute 🫡❤️

— Aparajite (@amshilparaghu) April 7, 2026

The ambulances are equipped with essential medical facilities, including oxygen cylinders, stretchers, monitoring equipment and emergency medicines. Each vehicle is staffed with a trained paramedic, an assistant and a driver. The service was designed to help patients reach medical facilities quickly, although actual response times can depend on location and traffic conditions.

How people on social media reacted to latest Blinkit's ambulance service announcement

The announcement by Deepinder Goyal has received largely positive reactions on social media, with several users calling Blinkit's decision to charge Rs 2,500 for non-emergency ambulance trips a good move. Many felt that people should not use an emergency service for routine hospital visits when taxis and other private transport options are available.

An X user, Anupam Vijeta, praised Blinkit's ambulance service, saying it was better than several government and private hospital services. He also recalled seeing the ambulances respond quickly during incidents such as building collapses in Delhi.

Good Decision

I think the Blinkit Ambulance service is far better than the govt. And other private hospitals .

I have seen several time like Delhi building collapses in which how fast the service of Blinkit Ambulance was.

#bkinkit

— Anupam Vijeta (@anupam_vijeta) November 5, 2026

Dr Shaurya Garg, who said he had experience working with patients during his training at Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS Delhi, also welcomed the initiative. He pointed to the poor condition of many government ambulances and alleged exploitation by some private ambulance operators, adding that even a 10% improvement through Blinkit's service deserved appreciation.

Another user, Rohit, argued that people had misused a free emergency service by booking it for routine check-ups and hospital transfers. He supported the Rs 2,500 charge, saying genuine emergency trips should remain free.

Why India will never become like Europe and America!!

Blinkit's Founder started Free Ambulance Service in some cities to handle emergency cases.

What Indian's did? - Started Booking it for routine checkups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers.

They could have easily hired a Ola, Uber and Rapido for checkups, hospital visits and transfers but they wanted to save that money!!

Now blinkit will be charging 2500 rupees for each non emergency bookings and it will be free for emergency bookings!!

The 2500 will go to trusts which manages these Free Ambulances!!

Indians will never have the civic sense and they don't deserve good services!!

— Rohit (@Iam_Rohit_G) November 5, 2026

Other users expressed disappointment over what they described as a lack of civic sense and the tendency to misuse public services.

All good things comes to an end, specially in India, and very soon.

We as a people are horders, it's a primal competition to pushing the next person away from the race.

It'll take generations to get it right, or may be this is who we are.

#amitkilhor #kilhor #bottomquintile #blinkit #ambulance

— amit kilhor (@amitkilhor) November 5, 2026

Some said the decision was necessary to ensure emergency ambulances remain available for patients who need immediate medical attention.

(With inputs from agencies)