Driver-owned Bharat Taxi ride-hailing launched in Gujarat

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched Bharat Taxi, a cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, in Gandhinagar on Saturday, June 27, positioning it as a driver-owned alternative to private app-based aggregators. The service began operations across 14 major cities in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot.

Shah, speaking at the Mahatma Mandir event alongside Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi, framed the launch as a significant shift in India's mobility sector. He argued that existing private platforms exploit drivers through high commissions, delayed payments, and arbitrary account suspensions. In contrast, Bharat Taxi operates on a zero-commission model where drivers are stakeholders, not just contractors. Shah stated that the initiative aims to provide drivers with dignity, security, and financial prosperity, preferring to call them "saarthi," meaning partner or charioteer.

The platform has been developed under Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited with support from major cooperative institutions like Amul, IFFCO, and NABARD. Officials said the model is inspired by the success of India's dairy cooperative...