Amazon on Friday announced plans to expand its ‘Ashray’ centres, dedicated rest stops for delivery associates, across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and other cities nationwide to 250 centres this year. As part of the expansion, the company plans to launch 50 new centres by the end of May.
Expansion comes amid heatwave concerns
The announcement assumes significance as the has warned of hotter-than-usual temperatures between May and June, with more heatwave days expected in central and eastern India as well as the northwestern plains.
Amazon currently operates more than 100 Ashray centres across 16 Indian cities.
Facilities available at Ashray centres
Ashray is network of dedicated rest centres for all delivery drivers, including those outside Amazon’s delivery network. The centres are equipped with air-conditioned seating, drinking water, electrolytes, mobile charging points, clean washrooms, first-aid kits and comfortable resting spaces.
The initiative is designed to provide delivery drivers with a place to rest and recharge during their routes, particularly during the peak summer months.
According to the company, the existing 100 centres have recorded over one million visits from delivery drivers across the industry in 2025.
“The health, safety and wellbeing of associates across our operations network is our topmost priority. Ashray was built on a simple idea — that every delivery driver, whether they deliver for or not, deserves a clean, cool place to rest during their workday,” said Salim R Memon, Director of Operations at Amazon India.
“Scaling to 250 centres and taking these facilities directly to delivery drivers through our mobile units reflects that commitment. This is also part of our broader investment of over ₹2,800 crore to strengthen associate safety, health and wellbeing across our operations network,” he added.
In the release, Amazon also said it has rolled out mobile ‘Ashray’ units — air-conditioned vans stationed along high-traffic delivery routes so that drivers can access rest and hydration support without travelling to a fixed location.
These mobile units are equipped with amenities such as air-conditioned seating, drinking water, electrolytes, Wi-Fi and mobile charging points.
Amazon merges MX Player with Prime Video
Meanwhile, Amazon India on Thursday had announced the strategic merger of Amazon MX Player and Prime Video, creating a single, comprehensive streaming platform.
With the merger, the company said it aimed to offer a centralised hub for Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), Advertising Video on Demand (AVOD), Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD), and various add-on subscriptions.
The company stated that the integration of the two OTT services would allow Prime members to access an extensive library of originals and exclusive content across devices, with the flexibility to choose between ad-supported and ad-free viewing experiences.
In a statement, Amazon India had said, “Amazon MX Player joined Prime Video, bringing together India’s largest selection of exclusive and original content across free and paid streaming under a single destination.”