Delhi: The Ministry of Cooperation remains committed to empowering cooperatives as instruments of employment generation, social security, and grassroots economic participation. Bharat Taxi is envisaged as a transformative intervention in the mobility sector by placing drivers—referred to as Sarathis—at the centre of ownership, governance, and value creation, thereby offering a sustainable and dignified alternative to aggregator-driven models. “Bharat Taxi” is India’s first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform. This is a major milestone in the Government of India’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the cooperative sector and promote inclusive, citizen-centric mobility solutions, in line with the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, Bharat Taxi was established on 6 June 2025 by 8 national level institutions working in field of cooperatives. The platform operates on zero-commission model, with direct distribution of profits to drivers, offering a homegrown and indigenous alternative to investment-driven aggregator platforms.
As of now the Bharat Taxi service is functional in Delhi NCR – Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath & Dwarka of Gujarat. The app has 990,082 registered customers and over 3 lakh registered drivers completing 291,665 rides. In due course, Bharat Taxi plans to have phase wise rollout having national presence by 2029.
Currently no charges in form of convenience fees, platform fees or commissions. are being collected from the riders or the drivers in-app. However, at the airport prepaid booths that are operated by Bharat Taxi, a 7% Service Charge is applied on the fare to take care of operational expenses.
Bharat Taxi prioritises social security for Sarathis through health insurance, accident insurance, retirement savings, and a dedicated driver support system. It operates help centres at seven key locations in Delhi, provides rapid emergency assistance and verified ride data, allows drivers the freedom to work on other platforms without exclusivity restrictions, and actively promotes women empowerment through initiatives such as “Bike Didi”, under which over 150 women drivers have already joined the platform.
Looking ahead, Bharat Taxi plans nationwide expansion across all states and cities, establishment of dedicated help centres in every state, further strengthening of driver social security, and deeper integration with national digital public infrastructure to deliver a sustainable, inclusive, and cooperative-driven mobility ecosystem.
This information was given by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah in a written reply in Lok Sabha.