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The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched the 'Bharat Taxi' App, aimed at strengthening cooperative participation and enhancing welfare measures for taxi drivers across the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Amit Shah said the launch of the Sahkar Taxi initiative was being held in the presence of around 8 lakh sarathi (driver) representatives and several cooperative bodies. "This launch of Sahkar Taxi is taking place in the presence of 800,000 Sarathi representatives and some cooperatives, so that within three years, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Kamakhya, across the entire country, this Sahkar Taxi is going to become a very significant means for the welfare of our taxi Sarathis", he told ANI. Bharat Taxi is India's first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, and was established on June 6, 2025. The platform operates on a zero-commission, surge-free pricing model, with direct distribution of profits to drivers, offering an indigenous alternative to foreign-investment-based aggregator platforms. Bharat Taxi prioritises social security for Sarathis through health insurance, accident insurance, retirement savings, and a dedicated driver support system. Support centres are being operated at seven key locations in Delhi. The platform provides rapid emergency assistance and verified ride data, and allows drivers to work on other platforms without exclusivity clauses. To promote women's empowerment, initiatives such as "Bike Didi" are being implemented, under which more than 150 women drivers have joined Bharat Taxi so far. Since its inception, Bharat Taxi has emerged as the world's first and largest cooperative-based ride-hailing platform and the world's largest driver-owned mobility platform. More than three lakh drivers have joined the platform, over one lakh users are registered, and more than 10,000 rides are being completed daily in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. Approximately Rs 10 crore has been disbursed directly to drivers to date. In the next two years, Bharat Taxi aims to expand to all States and cities across the country, establish dedicated support centres in every state, further strengthen drivers' social security, and develop a sustainable, inclusive, and cooperative-based mobility ecosystem through deeper integration with national digital public infrastructure. More than 1,200 Sarathis from across the country are expected to participate in this launch programme, underscoring the platform's growing national reach and drivers' confidence in the cooperative-based mobility model. (ANI)
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