AHMEDABAD: Union Home and Cooperation Minister and Gandhinagar MP Amit Shah on Saturday unveiled the cooperative-based 'Bharat Taxi' service in Gujarat, projecting it as a people-centric alternative to private app-based taxi platforms and declaring that the initiative would eliminate the exploitation of both drivers and passengers.
The launch, held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, also marked the beginning of Shah's two-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency on June 27 and 28.
The event assumed both political and economic significance as the Centre showcased the cooperative sector's expanding role beyond agriculture and banking into the country's rapidly growing mobility ecosystem. Strengthening the rollout, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with key public institutions, including the airports at Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat, as well as the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), GETCO, Ahmedabad Police and other government agencies, paving the way for operational expansion across Gujarat.
However, even as the launch projected confidence, concerns emerged from within the stakeholder community. Several taxi drivers present at the programme urged the government not to permit privately owned taxi operators to join the cooperative framework, arguing that unrestricted entry could dilute the very purpose of creating a driver-owned platform.
Addressing the gathering, Amit Shah asserted that Bharat Taxi had been conceptualised to end the long-standing exploitation allegedly faced by both drivers and commuters under private app-based taxi services.
"Today is a historic day for India's mobility sector. Private app-based taxi platforms have repeatedly faced complaints of charging excessive commissions, delaying payments to drivers and arbitrarily stopping registrations. Bharat Taxi has been established on a cooperative model to eliminate these problems. Here, there will not merely be a driver but a 'Sarathi'—a partner who is not just a service provider but also an owner of the cooperative institution," Shah said.
Rejecting criticism over pricing, Shah dismissed reports claiming that Bharat Taxi fares were expensive.
"Some people are spreading rumours that Bharat Taxi is costly. The reality is that our fares are fully competitive. In fact, after Bharat Taxi entered the market, several private companies have already started reducing their fares. This itself reflects the positive impact of the cooperative model," he said.
Highlighting the project's long-term roadmap, Shah announced that Bharat Taxi would gradually expand from major cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur, Jaipur and Kolkata to smaller urban and rural centres.
"Within the next two years, we will extend this cooperative mobility concept for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers to nearly 500 cities and villages across the country. Our objective is simple: to prevent the exploitation of passengers and Sarathis, provide dignity and ownership to drivers, and ensure prosperity backed by security," he said.
The Union Minister further claimed that more than seven lakh 'Sarathis' have already enrolled as members of the cooperative, while over 37 lakh passengers have availed themselves of the service, describing the initiative as a major milestone in the Centre's broader vision of strengthening India's cooperative movement through technology-driven public services.
