New Delhi: Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched Bharat Taxi, the country’s first co-operative-run ride-hailing platform, which will start services in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat initially and pan-India in the next three years.
Bharat Taxi platform, which has been established by India’s top eight co-operative organistions including dairy major Amul, will enhance drivers’ income significantly, besides giving them ownership, the minister highlighted.
Addressing an event after formally launching the service, Shah said the rival ride-hailing platforms have reduced commission and are offering many other incentives, including free rides to customers, seeing the success of Bharat Taxi during the pilot operation.
However, Shah emphasised that Bharat Taxi is giving ownership to drivers, which no other ride-hailing platform can offer.
“From today, Bharat Taxi has been commercially launched in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. Within three years, the service will be expanded to all states. Nobody should have any doubt about this,” he said.
“You will be the driver, and you will be the owner of Bharat Taxi platform,” Shah told the gathering. Around 800-1,000 drivers attended the event held here.
He said the profit will be shared with drivers associated with Bharat Taxi.
Shah said the platform would keep Rs 20 out of every Rs 100 earned, and Rs 80 would go to the drivers’ bank accounts. Even the ownership of Rs 20 would be with the drivers.
Customers can hail cars, three-wheelers and two-wheelers through the platform.
Bharat Taxi operates on a zero-commission and surge-free pricing model with direct profit distribution among drivers. This positions the platform as an indigenous alternative to foreign investment-based ride-hailing platforms.
The ride-hailing service market in the country is currently dominated by a handful of players, like Uber, Ola and Rapido.
“Within three years, Bharat Taxi is going to become a very major means of welfare for our taxi drivers across the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Dwarka to Kamakhya,” Shah said.
The minister noted that the four core mantras of Bharat Taxi are ownership, security cover, dignity, and ‘Everyone’s Wheel, Everyone’s Progress’, which is fair distribution of dividends for all.
With these four objectives, Bharat Taxi has been started, and in the coming time, it will prove to be a very successful experiment, he added.
So far, more than 2.5 lakh drivers in Delhi-NCR have joined Bharat Taxi, and more than 8.5 lakh passengers have become part of this family, an official statement said. IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Company will provide personal accident and health insurance coverage to drivers associated with Bharat Taxi.
After this mobility platform, Shah said, the co-operatives would enter into more new businesses in the coming years.
Bharat Taxi platform will be run by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd, which was registered on June 6, 2025, under the Multi state Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. It has been promoted by NCDC, IFFCO, GCMMF (AMUL), KRIBHCO, NAFED, NABARD, NDDB and NCEL.
Sahakar Taxi Cooperative aims at establishing a sustainable and democratic taxi service which will be owned and operated by drivers. It seeks to provide affordable, safe and efficient service for the public while ensuring fair income, social security and dignified livelihood for drivers through collective ownership and cooperative principles.
The platform began pilot operations on December 2 in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat.
In his speech, Shah clarified that the government is not entering the taxi sector, rather cooperative is entering the taxi sector. “Perhaps for the first time in the whole world, such a unique company is coming into existence whose real owner is neither any individual nor any external company, but the Sarathi who drives the taxi,” he said.
Now the wheel of the taxi will not run for someone else’s earnings, but for the prosperity and well-being of taxi drivers, the minister said, adding that the two representatives chosen by taxi Sarathis (driver partners) will sit on the Board.
Talking about benefits, Shah said the entire profit will go into the account of the drivers associated with Bharat Taxi. The fixed charge decided by Bharat Taxi will remain separate from the drivers’ accounts.
Bharat Taxi platform will not deduct even one per cent commission from the income of Sarathis, due to which their prosperity will increase rapidly.
Shah said the objective of Bharat Taxi is not to increase the company’s capital, but to increase the profit and income of Bharat Taxi’s real owners – the Sarathi brothers and Sarathi Didis.
The payment made by the customer will be transferred directly, immediately and automatically into the driver’s account.
Until now, Shah said, terms like booking fee, platform fee, and heavy commission used to benefit the company’s balance sheet at the cost of cab drivers.
In Bharat Taxi, there is no arrangement for any such fee or commission, and drivers themselves will be the owners, he said, adding that there would be no hidden charges.
Shah said the Bharat Taxi will accord the highest priority to women’s safety.
A special feature, ‘Sarathi Didi’, has been added to the platform. There will be a separate window for ‘Sarathi Didi’ in the app, through which any woman who registers will be picked up only by ‘Sarathi Didis’.
Bharat Taxi has entered into agreements (MoUs) with nine major institutions, including Delhi Traffic Police, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Airport Authority, IFFCO Tokio Insurance, and State Bank of India.
