Parliament Question: Status and impact of Bharat Taxi service

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COOPERATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2883 ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 Status And Impact of Bharat Taxi Service 2883. Shrimati Darshna Singh: Will the Minister of Cooperation be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has launched Bharat Taxi app on a cooperative model, if so, the key objectives thereof; (b) the States/Cities in which the service is currently operational and the roadmap for its phased expansion; (c) the arrangements for the driver’s membership, shareholding pattern and the platform fee/commission; (d) whether surge pricing has been prohibited, if so, the policy for fare determination; and (e) the total cost of the project, expenditure incurred so far, along with the details of employment generation thereunder? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF COOPERATION (SHRI AMIT SHAH) (a) 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. 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 platformoperates on a subscription-based model, with drivers as members and stakeholders of the cooperative. b) Bharat Taxi is currently operational in Delhi NCR – Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath & Dwarka of Gujarat. Bharat taxi intends to expand operations in a phased manner across various States and Union Territories, subject to statutory approvals, infrastructure readiness, and onboarding of members. Expansion plans are determined by the cooperative’s governing body based on operational feasibility. (c) & (d) Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited has been registered under the Multi-State Co- operative Societies Act, 2002 and bound by all the provisions of the Act. The arrangements regarding driver membership, shareholding, and platform fee/commission are as follows: Driver Membership: Individuals who hold a valid driving license and own a vehicle are eligible to become ordinary members of the society. Membership is granted in accordance with the society’s bye-laws, and all members participate in its governance on a democratic basis. The society ensures collective decision-making for operational and administrative matters. Shareholding Pattern: Membership entails subscription to the society’s shares, with a minimum of one share at the time of joining. The authorized share capital of the society is Rs. 300 crore, divided into shares of Rs. 100 each. Shareholding limits are prescribed to ensure equitable participation. The shares may be transferred, redeemed, or nominated as per the provisions of the bye-laws 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. (e) The project is being implemented through a cooperative framework with investments toward digital infrastructure, operational systems and capacity building. It is expected to generate employment opportunities for drivers, support staff and allied service providers. The budget incurred so far is around Rs.5 crore which generated income of over Rs.35 crore for the driver- sarathis. Total employment generated for drivers sarathis would be around 20,000 with 200 for auxiliary support staff. *****