New Delhi. Compared to private taxi apps Ola and Uber, the government has now come up with its new option. The Central Government has launched a new cooperative taxi service named “Bharat Taxi”, which will be the first cooperative taxi service in the country. It has been prepared jointly by the Union Ministry of Cooperation and National e-Governance Division (NeGD). Its objective is to give drivers full control over their earnings, and to provide passengers with a government-owned, safe and transparent taxi service.

Complaints regarding app-based taxi services have increased in the last few years. Sometimes dirty or bad condition vehicles, sometimes sudden increase in fare (surge pricing), sometimes ride cancellation without any reason. It seemed that the troubles of the passengers were not ending.

On the other hand, the drivers were also not happy. Companies like Ola and Uber charge 20-25 percent commission on every ride. Due to which a major part of their earnings goes to the company. In such a situation, the government decided that now is the time to create a “driver-friendly and transparent system”, and with this thinking the foundation of “Bharat Taxi” was laid. The platform will give drivers full earnings for each ride, without any commission.

Bharat Taxi is a platform based on a cooperative model. In this, drivers will join by becoming members and they will have to pay only a small membership fee (daily, weekly or monthly). In return, they will be able to keep their entire earnings with themselves and will not have to give a share to any private company.

The operation of this scheme will be in the hands of “Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited”, which was established in June 2025 with an initial capital of Rs 300 crore. A Governing Council will monitor this, whose chairman will be Amul MD Jayen Mehta, while the post of Vice Chairman will be held by NCDC Deputy MD Rohit Gupta.

The first glimpse of Bharat Taxi will be seen in Delhi. Its pilot project will be launched in November 2025, which will initially include 650 vehicles and their owner-drivers. If this trial is successful, it will be started at the national level from December. In the first phase, 5,000 drivers (both men and women) will join this platform. In the coming year, this service will be extended to 20 big cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Lucknow and Jaipur.