Bharat Taxi: ‘Bharat Taxi’ comes to compete with Ola-Uber; Amit Shah announced the country’s first cooperative ride-hailing platform

A huge revolution has started in the Indian mobility and transport sector. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has officially announced the nationwide mega expansion of the country’s first cooperative model-based and ‘driver-owned’ ride-hailing platform ‘Bharat Taxi’ in a grand program on Saturday. Amit Shah said that this service, which is currently started from 14 cities of Gujarat, will expand its services to more than 500 small and big cities of the country within the next two years (by 2028). In the coming time, this platform will be seen giving a direct challenge to private companies like Ola and Uber in all the metros and major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata. What is ‘zero-commission’ model, which will change the fate of drivers? The biggest and revolutionary feature of ‘Bharat Taxi’ is its ‘Zero-Commission Model’. Till now, private app-based companies keep a hefty commission of 20 to 30 percent of the drivers’ earnings on each ride. But this will not happen in Bharat Taxi: 100% of the fare amount to the driver: The entire (100%) amount of fare paid by the passenger on this cooperative platform will go directly to the driver’s account. Drivers will be the owners: Any driver working in this will not just be a service provider or employee, but will be the ‘co-owner’ of this entire cooperative organization. The Home Minister has named him not just a driver but ‘Sarathi’. Loans and insurance at low interest: In the future, under this cooperative model, a complete plan has been prepared to provide vehicle loan, health insurance, accident insurance and other necessary financial and social security schemes to all the registered drivers (Saarthis) at very low interest rates. Grand launch at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar: Agreement signed with many government departments, Chief Minister of the state Bhupendra Patel was also specially present in this very special launching program organized at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. To administratively and technically strengthen this initiative, several important Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with the International Airports of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat as well as top government agencies like Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), GETCO and Ahmedabad Police, paving the way for its smooth operation in Gujarat. Drivers expressed concern over the entry of private operators. While there was tremendous excitement all around regarding this launch, a small concern also emerged among the shareholder drivers at the ground level. During the program many local taxi drivers made a special request to the government and management. He said that any big or privately owned commercial taxi operators should not be allowed to join this cooperative framework. Drivers fear that if big corporate or private operators get entry without any restrictions, the basic and sacred purpose of this ‘driver-owned’ platform may be completely undermined. ‘Exploitation will end’ – Amit Shah lashed out at the arbitrariness of private companies. In his address, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a scathing attack on private app-based taxi platforms, making serious allegations of economic exploitation of both drivers and passengers. Amit Shah’s statement: "Today is a historic and proud day for India’s mobility sector. Private companies have been continuously accused of charging huge commissions from drivers, delaying the payment of their entitlements for weeks and arbitrarily blocking the registration of drivers on any small issue. Bharat Taxi has been established on a completely cooperative model to root out this dictatorship and exploitation."

‘The rumors of it being expensive are completely wrong, due to our arrival the prices of others have reduced’ Rejecting some competitive rumors going on in the market, Amit Shah said, "Some opponents and stakeholders are spreading this false rumor in the market that Bharat Taxi fares are costlier than normal taxis. Let me make it clear that our rates are completely competitive and fair. The reality is that as soon as they entered the Indian taxi market, many big private companies have started reducing their fares out of fear, which in itself proves the positive effect of this cooperative model."

More than 7 lakh charioteers became owners: You will be surprised to know that more than 7,00,000 (7 lakh) auto and taxi drivers across the country have acquired the ownership rights of this cooperative institution by purchasing shares worth just ₹ 100. This unique model not only guarantees customers a highly safe, transparent and affordable journey, but also ensures millions of drivers in the country a new path to a dignified life, security and prosperity in the society.