1 week ago
Bharat Taxi Puts Indian Drivers at the Wheel of Ownership
Bharat Taxi is a new ride-hailing service in India.
It is different because drivers can buy a small share of the cooperative that runs it.
Each share costs ₹500.
The company says many drivers and customers have joined.
However, the published numbers do not show how many accounts are actively used every day.
The service is available in four regions, including Delhi-NCR.
It also has a program that lets women passengers request women drivers when available.
Another program helps women become bike-taxi drivers.
The government supports the cooperative idea but says it did not provide money or ownership to build the company.
Bharat Taxi launched on February 5, 2026, as a driver-owned ride-hailing platform operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited.
Drivers can buy share capital for ₹500, receiving cooperative membership and ownership rights.
As of August 4, the platform had registered 8.48 lakh drivers and 44.27 lakh customers, with 11,106 daily rides.
Bharat Taxi operates in Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, with the most daily rides in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat.
Women-focused initiatives include Sarathi Didi, which connects passengers with women drivers, and Bike Didi, which recruits women for bike-taxi work.
- Who
- Bharat Taxi, Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, participating drivers and customers, and a consortium of eight national cooperative institutions.
- What
- A driver-owned ride-hailing platform launched with ₹500 cooperative share capital for drivers.
- Where
- New Delhi at launch; operating in Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
- When
- Launched February 5, 2026; registration and ride figures cited were current as of August 4 and presented in the Rajya Sabha on August 12.
- Why
- To create a cooperative ride-hailing model in which drivers hold formal membership and ownership rights, while also expanding women’s participation and mobility options.
Cooperative Model Supporters
Questions and Caveats
Driver ownership
Cooperative Model Supporters
Supporters say drivers receive formal cooperative membership and ownership rights instead of operating only as contractors for a distant company.
Questions and Caveats
The article does not establish whether the ownership stake has yet produced meaningful financial or governance benefits for individual drivers.
Government involvement
Cooperative Model Supporters
The platform has political support and backing from eight national cooperative institutions, including Amul, NAFED and NABARD.
Questions and Caveats
The Ministry of Cooperation says no government funds, equity or incentives were used to build Bharat Taxi; the state encouraged the framework but did not bankroll the company.
Growth and usage
Cooperative Model Supporters
Bharat Taxi has registered 8.48 lakh drivers, 44.27 lakh customers and facilitated more than 11,000 rides daily within its first months.
Questions and Caveats
The published figures do not say how many registered drivers or customers are active each day, leaving uncertainty about whether the platform has developed regular usage or mainly accumulated registrations.
Key facts
- Launch date
- February 5, 2026
- Operator
- Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited
- Driver share cost
- ₹500
- Registered drivers
- 8.48 lakh as of August 4
- Registered customers
- 44.27 lakh as of August 4
- Daily rides
- 11,106 as of August 4
- Cumulative driver earnings
- More than ₹83.70 crore
Sources
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