The Ministry of Cooperation is committed to empowering cooperatives as instruments of employment generation, social security, and grassroots economic participation. Bharat Taxi is envisaged as a transformative intervention in the mobility sector by placing drivers—referred to as Sarathis—at the centre of ownership, governance, and value creation, thereby offering a sustainable and dignified alternative to aggregator-driven models. “Bharat Taxi” is India’s first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform. This is a major milestone in the Government of India’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the cooperative sector and promote inclusive, citizen-centric mobility solutions, in line with the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, Bharat Taxi was established on 6 June 2025 by 8 national level institutions working in field of cooperatives and officially launched on 5^th February, 2026. The cooperative aims to ensure fair and transparent earnings for drivers, eliminate commission-based exploitation, promote participatory decision-making, and provide access to social security benefits while simultaneously providing safe and affordable ride options to commuters. The platform operates on a subscription-based model, with drivers as members and stakeholders of the cooperative.

Total number of drivers referred to as sarathis registered with STCL as on 1^st March, 2026 is 3.76 lakh.

The Bharat Taxi platform operates on zero-commission model, with direct distribution of profits to drivers, offering a homegrown and indigenous alternative to investment-driven aggregator platforms. Bharat Taxi has transparent fare structure, a user-friendly mobile ride-booking interface, real-time vehicle tracking, and support for multilingual interfaces, along with 24/7 customer support to enhance accessibility. The platform also provides secure and verified onboarding promoting inclusive mobility. Bharat Taxi does not charge any commission from drivers (Sarthis) on rides booked through the platform. The cooperative follows a subscription-based model, enabling drivers to retain full fare earnings. Riders are charged only the applicable trip fare based on distance, time and market conditions, without additional convenience fees or surge pricing, in keeping with cooperative principles of transparency and affordability.

This information was given by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

*****

AK/AP

(Release ID: 2245137) Visitor Counter : 182