**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Cooperation has launched "Bharat Taxi," India's first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, on 5th February 2026. Established on 6th June 2025, the platform aims to empower drivers and create employment opportunities. The service is currently operational in Delhi NCR and Gujarat, with plans for nationwide expansion over the next two years.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Platform Objectives:**
* Empower cooperatives as instruments of employment generation, social security, and grassroots economic participation.
* Position drivers ("Sarathis") at the center of ownership, governance, and value creation, offering a dignified alternative to aggregator models.
* Strengthen the cooperative sector and promote inclusive, citizen-centric mobility solutions.
* **Establishment and Registration:**
* Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
* Established on 6th June 2025 by 8 national level cooperative institutions.
* Officially launched on 5th February 2026.
* **Current Operational Areas and Expansion:**
* Currently functional in Delhi NCR (Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad) and Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath & Dwarka).
* Targets to expand service nationwide in a phased manner over the next two years.
* **Strategic Partnerships (MoUs Signed):**
* Partnerships with Paytm, Airports Authority of India, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi Traffic Police, National e-Governance Division, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, GMR Group, and State Bank of India.
* These MoUs aim to facilitate collaboration in digital payments, airport and metro connectivity, traffic and transport coordination, e-governance, tourism travel, insurance, infrastructure integration, and institutional banking.
* **Economic and Employment Impact:**
* Provides livelihood and self-employment opportunities, particularly for driver-owners, the unemployed, and youth, through a cooperative model.
* Encourages inclusive growth and strengthens local economies.
* Expected to create both direct and indirect employment opportunities.
* **Operational Features:**
* Operates on a zero-commission model with direct profit distribution to drivers.
* Features a transparent fare structure, user-friendly mobile booking interface, real-time vehicle tracking, and multilingual support.
* Offers 24/7 customer support and secure, verified onboarding.
* **Women-Focused Initiatives:**
* Launched 'Bike Didi' and 'Sarthi Didi' to promote women's participation.
* Encourages women's involvement through targeted outreach, skill development, training, financial assistance, safety measures, and preferential onboarding.
* Collaboration with women self-help groups and cooperative institutions.
* **Information Source:**
* Provided by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
**Impact Analysis**
**Driver-Owners (Sarathis)**
* **Impact:** Will benefit from a cooperative model that places them at the center of ownership and governance, offering direct profit distribution and a dignified alternative to aggregator platforms. They will also have opportunities for skill development and training.
* **Action Required:** Engage with the platform, undergo secure and verified onboarding, and participate in the service delivery.
**Unemployed People and Youth**
* **Impact:** Will have access to livelihood and self-employment opportunities through the cooperative ride-hailing platform.
* **Action Required:** Explore opportunities for engagement and participation in the platform.
**Women**
* **Impact:** Will be encouraged to participate in the ride-hailing service through dedicated initiatives like ‘Bike Didi’ and 'Sarthi Didi', with targeted support for skill development, financial assistance, and safety.
* **Action Required:** Participate in women-focused initiatives, skill development, and onboarding processes.
**Cooperative Sector Institutions**
* **Impact:** Will be involved in the establishment and functioning of India's first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, contributing to the strengthening of the cooperative ecosystem.
* **Action Required:** Continue to support and engage with Bharat Taxi in its implementation and growth.
**Government and Regulatory Bodies (e.g., Delhi Traffic Police, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation)**
* **Impact:** Will collaborate with Bharat Taxi through signed MoUs to facilitate smoother traffic and transport coordination, enhance connectivity, and support e-governance systems.
* **Action Required:** Implement collaborative efforts as outlined in the MoUs to support the integrated mobility ecosystem.
**Financial Institutions (e.g., State Bank of India, Paytm)**
* **Impact:** Will provide institutional banking support and digital payment solutions for the Bharat Taxi platform, contributing to its financial infrastructure.
* **Action Required:** Provide banking and digital payment services as per partnership agreements.
**Airport Authorities and Metro Corporations (e.g., Airports Authority of India, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation)**
* **Impact:** Will enhance airport and metro connectivity for Bharat Taxi users through collaborative efforts.
* **Action Required:** Facilitate seamless integration and connectivity with airport and metro services.
Key Entities Referenced
Bharat Taxi: India's first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform.
Ministry of Cooperation: Government body overseeing the Bharat Taxi initiative.
Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002: The law under which Bharat Taxi is registered.
Sarathis: Drivers in the Bharat Taxi platform, central to its ownership and governance model.
‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’: Vision guiding the strengthening of the cooperative sector and citizen-centric mobility.
Ministry of Cooperation
Launching of Bharat Taxi
Posted On: 10 MAR 2026 5:00PM by PIB Delhi
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 5th February, 2026.
As of now the Bharat Taxi service is functional in Delhi NCR – Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad,
Ghaziabad and in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath & Dwarka of Gujarat. Bharat Taxi targets to expand its
service in a phased manner across the country over the next two years.
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed by Bharat Taxi with Paytm, Airports Authority of
India, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi Traffic Police, National e-Governance Division, Delhi Tourism
and Transportation Development Corporation, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, GMR Group, and State
Bank of India. These partnerships are intended to facilitate collaboration across multiple areas, including
digital payments, airport and metro connectivity, traffic and transport coordination, e-governance systems,
tourism-related travel facilitation, insurance coverage, infrastructure integration, and institutional banking
support. Collectively, these initiatives are expected to contribute to the development of a more coordinated
and citizen-friendly mobility ecosystem.
The platform aims to provide livelihood and self-employment opportunities, especially for driver-owners,
unemployed people, and youth, through a cooperative model. It encourages inclusive growth by
strengthens local economies. The initiative is expected to create both direct and indirect employment
opportunities. As it grows, it will engage various stakeholders in implementation, logistics, community
engagement, and service delivery, thereby creating avenues for livelihood and self-employment,
depending on the scale of participation and the pace of its growth.
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 has launched women-focused initiatives such as ‘Bike Didi’ and ‘Sarthi Didi’ to promote
greater participation of women in India’s first cooperative ride-hailing service. Women’s participation is
further encouraged through targeted outreach, skill development and training, financial assistance, safetymeasures, and preferential onboarding, along with collaboration with women self-help groups and
cooperative institutions.
This information was given by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah in a written
reply in Lok Sabha.
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AK/AP
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