The government has launched Bharat Taxi, described as India’s first cooperative led ride hailing platform, aimed at empowering drivers and expanding employment opportunities through a cooperative ownership model in the mobility sector.
The platform has been developed as part of the Ministry of Cooperation’s broader initiative to strengthen the cooperative sector and promote inclusive economic participation under the vision of Sahkar se Samriddhi. Bharat Taxi was established on 6 June 2025 under the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act 2002 by eight national level institutions working in the cooperative sector and was officially launched on 5 February 2026.
The cooperative ride hailing service is designed to place drivers, referred to as Sarathis, at the centre of ownership, governance and value creation. The initiative aims to provide a sustainable alternative to aggregator driven mobility platforms by ensuring direct participation of drivers in the economic benefits generated by the service.
At present, Bharat Taxi services are operational in the Delhi NCR region including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. The service is also available in several cities in Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath and Dwarka. The platform plans to expand its operations across other parts of the country in a phased manner over the next two years.
To strengthen the operational ecosystem, Bharat Taxi has entered into memoranda of understanding with several organisations including Paytm, Airports Authority of India, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi Traffic Police, National e Governance Division, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, GMR Group and State Bank of India.
These partnerships are expected to support digital payment systems, airport and metro connectivity, traffic and transport coordination, e governance integration, tourism related services, insurance coverage, infrastructure development and institutional banking support, contributing to a coordinated and citizen friendly mobility ecosystem.
The cooperative platform is designed to generate livelihood opportunities and self employment, particularly for driver owners, unemployed individuals and youth. The initiative is expected to create both direct and indirect employment opportunities through participation in operations, logistics, community engagement and service delivery.
Bharat Taxi operates on a zero commission model under which profits are directly distributed among drivers, providing a homegrown alternative to investment driven ride hailing platforms. The service features a transparent fare structure, a user friendly mobile ride booking interface, real time vehicle tracking and multilingual support, along with round the clock customer support.
The platform also includes secure and verified onboarding systems aimed at improving safety and accessibility for users and drivers.
As part of its inclusive approach, Bharat Taxi has launched initiatives such as Bike Didi and Sarthi Didi to encourage women’s participation in the cooperative mobility sector. The programme promotes greater involvement of women through targeted outreach, training and skill development, financial assistance, safety measures and preferential onboarding in collaboration with women self help groups and cooperative institutions.
The initiative is expected to expand cooperative participation in the mobility sector while supporting employment generation and strengthening community driven economic models.
