Bharat Taxi: All about the government-backed ride-hailing alternative to Ola, Uber

A new ride-hailing service backed by the central government, named ‘Sahakar Taxi’ is all set to take on private companies like Ola and Uber. It will be launched first in Delhi next month. Following the Ministry’s collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), the new service has been set up as a multi-state cooperative society named Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited with an initial capital of ₹300 crore.

The promoter side includes major cooperative-based institutions like Amul, IFFCO (fertilizers), NAFED (agriculture marketing), NABARD, Krishak Bharti Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO), and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

This new program transforms drivers (called ‘Sarthis’) who used to be mere contractors on ride-hailing platforms into cooperative members and owners. Bharat Taxi offers service at minimal subscription costs and, unlike other private platforms, prohibits charging commission from drivers’ income.

Passenger fares must be fair, unchanged and without additional charges and other hidden costs.

It is a pilot program for Delhi with the main targets being 650 driver-owners (the starting point) by November 2025, 5,000 drivers – male and female – across 20 Indian cities by 2026 and one lakh taxis across the country by 2030.

Furthermore, the initiative cares about solving ridership problems caused by surges and cancellations; It aims to empower drivers and spread the idea of ​​“prosperity through collaboration”.

According to a statement, the Bharat Taxi service – through partnerships with DigiLocker, Umang and API Setu – will be integrated with India’s digital infrastructure both technology and policy-wise, thus ensuring a seamless and secure user experience including identity verification and compliance.

Over the past few years, passengers in private taxis have reported inconveniences such as dirty vehicles, disrespectful drivers and sudden hikes in fares.

Apart from this, canceling their trips at the last minute is also on the list of complaints. However, drivers of these app-based taxi services also have to deal with problems like high commissions and lack of transparency.

The inauguration of Bharat Taxi is in line with the government’s mission to facilitate cooperative businesses under the banner of ‘Sahakar Se Samridhi’. It is a driver-centric program, and its aim is to ensure that drivers get their fair share of the profits.