Amit Shah unveiled India’s first government-backed ride hailing platform ‘Bharat Taxi’, built on the ethos of shared ownership

During the launch event in Delhi NCR today, Shah said that the platform’s main goal is to empower the cab drivers

Operated by Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited, Bharat Taxi will work under a cooperative model, making drivers the co-owners

Union minister Amit Shah unveiled India’s first government-backed ride hailing platform ‘Bharat Taxi’, built on the ethos of shared ownership.

During the launch event in Delhi NCR today, Shah said that the platform’s main goal is to empower the cab drivers.

“There is going to be no commission for the drivers. Whatever fare will be shown on the app, the entire amount will be given to the driver,” he added.

Shah added that this launch fuels the ambition of welfare for “Sarthis” (driver) community with a vision to expand from “Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Kamakhya, across the entire country” within three years.

A month ago, Shah said that the new app will look to “free the country’s commercial vehicle drivers from (their) dependency on private companies”. Additionally, he also noted that the new service will enable drivers to keep full earnings from each ride.

Operated by Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited, Bharat Taxi will work under a cooperative model, making drivers the co-owners. To participate, the drivers will be required to buy a minimum of 5 shares (worth ₹500 total), earning stakeholder perks like dividends, health insurance, and pensions. The model will work across two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and four-wheeler taxis.

Additionally, after a three-year expansion plan, Bharat Taxi will also share profit with the drivers by keeping only a set amount to itself and disbursing the rest to the drivers based on per kilometre average.

The government-backed platform will compete directly with ride-hailing giants like Uber, Ola, and Rapido.

The Bharat Taxi app will have a dedicated window called “Sarthi didi”, under which women can book a ride which will only be facilitated by women drivers.

The Centre piloted the ride-hailing service in November. Bharat Taxi is said to have witnessed strong early traction and has onboarded more than 37,000 driver registrations as of November-end.

As per earlier reports, the government plans to roll out Bharat Taxi in select metro cities by March 2026 and onboard 1 Lakh drivers by 2030.

This comes amid a brewing rift between drivers and cab aggregators. Cab drivers are set to protest against ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber, Rapido and Porter on Saturday (February 7). The drivers are protesting against alleged irregular wages and lapses in enforcement of regulations.

In the past year, the country has seen several such strikes, causing inconvenience to the commuters. Amid these protests, the likes of Ola and Uber also transitioned to a ‘no commission’ model for auto and cab drivers. Now, these companies require drivers to purchase a subscription or driver pass for a fixed amount to continue working for the platform.