NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 12, 2026: India’s cooperative mobility initiative Bharat Taxi is steadily establishing itself as a people-owned alternative in the country’s expanding platform economy, registering close to 10 lakh customers and enrolling over three lakh driver-partners, popularly known as Sarathis. The progress was shared by Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, indicating rising public trust in cooperative-based digital services.
Since its launch, the platform has recorded approximately 9.9 lakh registered users and more than three lakh drivers, while successfully completing nearly 2.9 lakh trips. The increasing participation of both commuters and drivers suggests growing confidence in a model that emphasises fairness, transparency, and shared ownership over conventional aggregator systems.
Developed under the vision of Sahkar se Samriddhi, the initiative places cooperatives at the centre of inclusive growth. Unlike commission-driven ride-hailing services, Bharat Taxi operates on a zero-commission framework, ensuring that the entire fare from each ride is credited directly to the driver. The structure aims to enhance income stability and reduce reliance on intermediary platforms.
A key distinguishing aspect of the service is its cooperative governance model, where drivers are treated as stakeholders rather than contractual service providers. By enabling participation in decision-making, the platform seeks to improve livelihood security and address long-standing concerns such as fluctuating earnings, limited social protection, and lack of operational transparency.
The organisation was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, and formally established on 6 June 2025 by eight national-level cooperative institutions. The initiative forms part of the Ministry of Cooperation’s broader effort to modernise cooperatives and integrate them into the digital economy as engines of employment, social security, and grassroots entrepreneurship.
Currently, services are operational across major urban and pilgrimage centres. In the National Capital Region, operations cover Delhi, Gurugram, and Noida, while in Gujarat the network extends to Ahmedabad and Rajkot, along with prominent religious destinations such as Somnath and Dwarka. The presence across both metropolitan and pilgrimage corridors demonstrates the scalability and adaptability of the cooperative-led approach.
Government officials consider the platform a significant intervention in the mobility sector, showing that cooperative institutions can successfully leverage technology without compromising their principles of equity, participation, and collective prosperity. Bharat Taxi is now being observed as a potential model for similar people-owned digital platforms in other service sectors.
As India’s digital marketplace continues to grow, Bharat Taxi is emerging as a socially responsible mobility solution that blends technological innovation with cooperative values, reaffirming the continued relevance of the cooperative movement in the country’s development journey.
