Bharat Taxi Debuts: India’s First Cooperative Ride-Hailing Service Challenges Uber, Ola, Rapido
Cooperative model puts drivers at the center, offering earnings, ownership, and social security benefits
India, Feb 05 : Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated Bharat Taxi, India’s first ride hailing service run on a cooperative model, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The platform is designed to shift control and profits from traditional aggregator systems to the drivers themselves.
Shah called the launch a “historic day” for taxi operators, emphasizing that the platform will provide drivers with greater earnings, ownership rights, and long-term security. On social media, he highlighted cooperation as a tool for collective growth and cited Bharat Taxi as a prime example.
Cooperative Ownership and Driver-Centric Model
Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, Bharat Taxi was founded on June 6, 2025. The platform eliminates commissions and surge pricing, allowing drivers (Sarathis) to earn directly from operations while maintaining the freedom to work on other apps.
Drivers also benefit from comprehensive social security measures, including health and accident insurance, retirement savings, and support centers currently operating at seven locations in Delhi. Initiatives like “Bike Didi” encourage women’s participation, with over 150 women drivers already registered.
Launch Ceremony and National Expansion
At the launch, Shah honoured six top-performing Sarathis and distributed share certificates, underlining the principle of “Sarathi Hi Malik”. Each received personal accident insurance and family health coverage of Rs 5 lakh. The event also saw the signing of nine MoUs with public and private partners to enhance digital integration, safety, and operational efficiency.
Over 1,200 drivers from across India attended the launch. The platform has already registered around four lakh drivers and over 10 lakh users, distributing nearly Rs 10 crore directly to drivers to date.
Bharat Taxi aims to redefine India’s mobility ecosystem by prioritizing driver ownership, fair earnings, and cooperative decision-making over conventional profit driven models.
