Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Bharat Taxi’s Cooperative Model Faces Fierce Ride-Hailing Competition
Bharat Taxi is a new ride-booking service supported by the Indian government and cooperative organizations.
It is different because drivers can become owners of the cooperative, not just workers using an app.
Drivers can buy shares and take part in decisions.
The service does not charge drivers a commission and does not raise prices during busy periods.
Instead, 80% of cooperative earnings are shared among drivers according to how far they drive.
Bharat Taxi keeps the other 20% as capital for the cooperative.
Its fares can be 20% to 30% higher than those of competing services.
The company must attract both drivers and passengers while competing with larger platforms such as Uber, Ola and Rapido.
It may use discounts during quiet periods and promote its no-surge pricing to grow.
Bharat Taxi, operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd, began services in Delhi-NCR in February 2026.
The platform uses a driver-owned cooperative model with zero commissions and surge-free fares.
As of July 2026, it had over 848,000 registered drivers, 4.43 million customers and more than 11,000 daily rides.
Drivers receive 80% of cooperative earnings based on kilometres travelled, while 20% is credited as capital.
Higher fares, cancellations and strong competition from Uber, Ola and Rapido remain major challenges.
- Who
- Bharat Taxi, operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd, and its driver-members, known as Sarathis.
- What
- A cooperative-sector ride-hailing platform offering zero-commission and surge-free services.
- When
- Established in June 2025 and launched services in February 2026; figures cited are as of July 2026.
- Where
- It began in Delhi-NCR and operates in cities including Ahmedabad, Surat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Jaipur, Kanpur and Pune.
- Why
- It was created to provide drivers with ownership, fairer earnings and social-security support while offering customers transparent fares.
- Operator
- Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd, a multi-state cooperative society
- Ownership model
- Drivers, called Sarathis, can obtain ownership rights by purchasing shares worth Rs 500
- Pricing
- Zero commission and surge-free fares
- Driver and customer base
- More than 848,000 registered drivers and 4.43 million customers as of July 2026
- Daily activity
- More than 11,000 rides facilitated each day
- Earnings distribution
- 20% is credited as Sarathis’ capital and 80% is distributed according to kilometres travelled
- Expansion target
- A nationwide presence is planned by 2029