Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched Bharat Taxi in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat, India’s first cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, at an event at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The platform, operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited (STCL) in collaboration with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and supported by NABARD and Amul, marks first of its kind government-backed entry into the aggregator-dominated ride-hailing space.
Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, Bharat Taxi operates on a ‘Sarathi Hi Malik’ (driver is owner) model. Each driver holds a minimum of five shares worth Rs 500, entitling them to dividends from profits. The platform claims to have already distributed approximately Rs 10 crore in earnings directly to drivers since its soft launch in December 2025. The cooperative has onboarded over 400,000 active drivers and 1 lakh users, completing more than 10,000 rides daily across Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. By comparison, Rapido has 1.7 million active drivers, Uber has 1.5 million, and Ola has 640,000.
Turning Gig Workers into Shareholders
Bharat Taxi plans to expand to all states and Union Territories within two years, Shah said.
At launch, Bharat Taxi charges a flat Rs 30 daily subscription for cabs and Rs 18 for autos, with zero commission on any ride.
By comparison, Rapido, currently the largest ride-hailing platform in the country, operates on a tiered recharge model for cabs. For instance, cab drivers pay Rs 100 to unlock Rs 1,000 worth of rides. On lower value recharges, the platform charges an effective commission of over 10%, while on higher value recharges, it effectively charges around 5-10% commission. Uber charges cab drivers Rs 100-200 daily subscription or 15-40% commission, while Ola follows a similar model for cabs with monthly subscriptions around Rs 2,000 or 15-40% commission. For auto-rickshaws, all platforms charge zero commission with daily recharge plans of Rs 9-29 per day. For bike taxis, all platforms charge 30-40% commission per ride.
Crucially, Bharat Taxi has eliminated surge pricing entirely, promising fares approximately 30% cheaper than competitors. Private players are permitted to charge up to twice the base fare during peak hours under the aggregator guidelines.
Driver benefits on Bharat Taxi include Rs 5 lakh health insurance, Rs 5 lakh accident cover, retirement savings, and access to cooperative bank loans, which is significantly more comprehensive than the limited coverage offered by private platforms. The cooperative structure is expected to facilitate integration with driver welfare schemes, healthcare programs, and skill development initiatives.
Beyond the Ride
Bharat Taxi is also developing multi-modal capabilities, with plans to launch an all-inclusive ticketing system that combines ride-hailing with metro ticket booking. Nine MoUs were signed at the launch, including agreements for preferential pickup access at 10 Delhi Metro stations and 35 dedicated safety booths in collaboration with Delhi Police. Expansion to other states are expected too see similar metro, and state police partnerships. Meanwhile, Rapido and Uber have recently launched features that allow users to book separate metro tickets in select cities.
The technology backbone for Bharat Taxi is provided by Moving Tech Innovations, the parent company of Bengaluru-based Namma Yatri, which pioneered the zero-commission model with auto-rickshaws and then cabs in Karnataka.
Industry experts believe the cooperative model, backed by government support and institutional partnerships, could fundamentally alter the economics of India’s ride-hailing market. “No single ride-hailing company in India, or globally, has got this kind of attraction in this short a time span. Our current ratings are higher than any aggregator platforms on mobile app stores,” a person working on the initiative said.