Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah launched Bharat Taxi for Gujarat at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar. The cooperative-based mobility platform has begun services in all major cities of the state, including Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot.
The service will operate across two-wheeler, auto and four-wheeler categories. According to the government release, Bharat Taxi is designed to connect people working in mobility services, described by the platform as Sarathis, with an ownership stake in the cooperative while providing transport services to customers.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat Cooperation Minister Jitubhai Vaghani, Minister of State for Cooperation Rameshbhai Katara, Cooperation Ministry Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Gujarat Chief Secretary Manoj Das and Bharat Taxi Chairman Dr. Jayen Mehta attended the programme, along with cooperative sector representatives, officials and Sarathis.
Cooperative model for mobility services
Speaking at the event, Shah said the demand for taxi and transport services has expanded with urban mobility needs. He said the idea of taxi services is no longer limited to four-wheelers and now includes two-wheelers, autos and other city transport options.
Shah described Bharat Taxi as an effort to apply the cooperative model to this sector. He said the platform treats vehicle operators as Sarathis and partners in the institution. The stated aim is to reduce exploitation of both service providers and customers, improve service quality and create a fairer system in app-based mobility.
He referred to complaints about some app-based taxi services, including high commission deductions, delayed payments and cancellation of registrations without a hearing. Shah said every problem cannot be solved through legislation alone and that an institutional model can provide a lasting solution in some cases.
The minister compared the approach with established cooperative institutions. He cited Amul as an example of a cooperative system that connected rural cattle-rearers directly with income from the dairy sector. He also mentioned IFFCO and KRIBHCO, saying they meet nearly 35 percent of the fertilizer requirement of farmers in the country.
More than 7 lakh Sarathis joined
According to the release, more than 7 lakh Sarathis have joined Bharat Taxi so far. Nearly 37 lakh customers have used its services. Shah said the cooperative institution will work to protect Sarathis’ earnings and, in the future, support them through loans, insurance and business expansion.
He also addressed reports about Bharat Taxi fares being high. Shah said competing companies may temporarily cut fares or offer higher commission to service providers, but he maintained that Bharat Taxi would continue to operate with the cooperative model. He said the platform’s purpose is to build a just, transparent and sustainable system in mobility services.
Shah urged Sarathis and customers to support Bharat Taxi if they wanted a long-term and reliable transport system. He said the responsibility for the platform’s success would rest significantly on the participation of Sarathis.
Expansion plans and institutional support
Bharat Taxi plans to expand beyond Gujarat. Shah said the service would reach more than 500 cities and towns in the next one-and-a-half to two years. He also said it would expand to cities including Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata. Before 31 July 2026, Bharat Taxi is expected to reach seven major cities.
The release said leading cooperative institutions have come together to support the platform. These include NCDC, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NDDB, NABARD, NCEL and Amul.
During the Gandhinagar programme, Memorandums of Understanding were exchanged with several institutions for the expansion and operation of Bharat Taxi. These included:
- Airports Authority of India, Rajkot
- Airports Authority of India, Surat
- Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation
- Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation/Bus Rapid Transit System
- Gujarat State Cooperative Bank
- Adani Airport
- Gujarat Traffic Police
- Western Railway, Ahmedabad Division
- Vadodara Airport
The government said these agreements are expected to strengthen Bharat Taxi’s service reach around airports, railways, metro systems, urban transport and traffic management. Share certificates were also distributed to the best-performing Sarathis at the event.
Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India.