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Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today launched the cooperative-based mobility platform ‘Bharat Taxi’ for Gujarat at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Bharat Taxi aims to connect Sarathis engaged in taxi, auto and two-wheeler mobility services with ownership stake, respect, security and prosperity, while providing citizens with reliable and service-oriented transport facilities. The programme was attended by Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of Cooperation, Gujarat, Shri Jitubhai Vaghani, Minister of State for Cooperation, Gujarat, Shri Rameshbhai Katara, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Chief Secretary of Gujarat Shri Manoj Das, Chairman of Bharat Taxi Dr. Jayen Mehta, along with senior representatives from the cooperative sector, officials and a large number of Sarathis.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that today is a very important day for India’s mobility sector. He said that with the development of the country, the need for taxi and transport services has reached every household. The concept of taxi is no longer limited to four-wheelers; two-wheelers, autos and other urban transport services have also become part of it. The launch of ‘Bharat Taxi’ in Gujarat is a step towards giving a new direction to this wider mobility requirement through cooperation.
Shri Amit Shah said that other companies consider those who drive vehicles as drivers, but Bharat Taxi considers them ‘Sarathis’. He said this is not merely a difference of words, but a difference of the entire approach. A ‘Sarathi’ is not merely a service provider, but a respected partner and ‘owner’ of this cooperative institution. The core objective of Bharat Taxi is to prevent the exploitation of both Sarathis and customers, improve the quality of service and establish a fair system in the mobility sector.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that over the past few years, several complaints had emerged regarding app-based taxi services — in some cases, excessive commission was deducted from the earnings of Sarathis; in some cases, payments did not reach them on time; and in some cases, registrations were cancelled without giving them a hearing. He said that not every problem can be solved by passing legislation; many times, the right institutional model provides a permanent solution. It was with this thinking that Bharat Taxi was conceptualised on the cooperative model.
Shri Amit Shah said that cooperation has ended exploitation and given rights and prosperity to people in many sectors of the country. Giving the example of Amul, he said that a rural woman cattle-rearer who joined the cooperative system with a share of just ₹100 is today a stakeholder in a trusted food brand with a turnover of ₹1.25 lakh crore. Amul has proved that a vast economic system can be built through cooperation, without middlemen, without exploitation and with complete transparency. This model ended exploitation in the dairy sector and ensured that the hard-earned income of women cattle-rearers reached their bank accounts directly. Today, the women cattle-rearers of rural India are receiving the full value of their labour with dignity. He said that similarly, cooperative institutions such as IFFCO and KRIBHCO are today meeting nearly 35 percent of the fertilizer requirement of the country’s farmers. This too is a major success story of cooperation. Bharat Taxi is an effort to take this successful cooperative tradition forward in the mobility sector. He said that many people raised the question as to where the resources for an initiative like Bharat Taxi would come from. In this regard, dialogue was held with the country’s leading cooperative institutions and they were urged to join this important initiative. It is a matter of great satisfaction that reputed cooperative institutions such as NCDC, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NDDB, NABARD, NCEL and Amul have together decided to build a cooperative institution of the Sarathis in the mobility sector, so that a strong, transparent and Sarathi-centric cooperative alternative can be presented before the country’s large private companies.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that more than 7 lakh Sarathis have so far joined Bharat Taxi. Bharat Taxi will give respect to Sarathis, provide them security and pave the way for prosperity in the coming time. He said that this cooperative institution will protect the earnings of Sarathis and will also support them in future through loans, insurance and expansion of their business. So far, nearly 37 lakh customers have availed the services of Bharat Taxi, which is a clear proof of its growing popularity and public trust.
Shri Amit Shah said that some newspapers had also reported that the fares of Bharat Taxi are high. He said, “I want to tell customers across the country that wherever Bharat Taxi is reaching, competing companies are temporarily reducing fares by incurring losses; but how long will this situation continue? Hardly for one or two years,” He added that he wants to say with full confidence that Bharat Taxi will neither tire, nor step back, nor leave the field. Bharat Taxi will remain firmly in the field with the spirit of service and cooperation and will compete in a healthy manner. Our objective is not to harm anyone, but to build a just, transparent and sustainable system in the mobility sector.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the companies which are today trying to create market pressure by reducing fares and temporarily giving higher commission to Sarathis are doing so only to stop the progress of Bharat Taxi. They want Bharat Taxi to exit the field so that they can again start arbitrary practices. “But I want to say clearly today that their wish will never be fulfilled. Bharat Taxi will continue to move forward with the resolve of service, the strength of cooperation and the trust of Sarathis,” he said. He added that those spreading rumours will be answered by our cooperative spirit, our consistency and our dedication to service. The biggest responsibility of making Bharat Taxi successful rests with our Sarathis. If we take decisions only by looking at immediate gains, then in the coming years we may again have to face the same exploitation to come out of which Bharat Taxi has been established.
Shri Amit Shah told the Sarathis that they have worked with different companies for years and know that many times decisions were taken without hearing them, their earnings were reduced and their labour was not given full respect. He said, “I assure you that Bharat Taxi will never exploit you, because this is not someone else’s company, but your own cooperative institution.” He said that some companies are trying to push Bharat Taxi out of the market through unfair competition while operating at a loss. Such strategies may work in some countries of the world, but they will not work in India, because the soul of India lies in cooperation, service and the welfare of all. Here, not merely one’s own interest, but the interest of all is considered paramount.
Appealing to Sarathis and customers, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that if we want a long-term, reliable and just transport system, then making Bharat Taxi successful is the collective responsibility of all of us. “Stay with Bharat Taxi, Bharat Taxi will always stand with you,” he said. He said that we have presented many successful examples in the cooperative sector. Amul too had to face competition from private dairies; IFFCO, KRIBHCO and NDDB too had to compete with private companies, but these institutions succeeded on the strength of cooperation, transparency and public trust.
Shri Amit Shah told the Sarathis that Bharat Taxi is their own institution and it has been created to stop their exploitation, to give them respect and to make them prosperous. In the times to come, this very institution will also work to help them get loans, provide insurance protection and support the expansion of their business. He said that no private platform can do this, because their objective is their own profit, whereas the objective of Bharat Taxi is the welfare of its Sarathis. He said that instead of short-term gains, long-term security, respect and stable income will have to be given priority.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that for how many cities will competing companies keep reducing fares? Bharat Taxi will reach more than 500 cities and towns in the next one-and-a-half to two years. Bharat Taxi will expand its services to many cities of the country, including Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata. Before 31 July 2026, Bharat Taxi will reach seven major cities. He said that in the next two years, the Bharat Taxi model will be implemented in more than 500 cities and towns of the country across all three categories — two-wheelers, autos and four-wheelers.
Expressing happiness over the launch of Bharat Taxi in Gujarat, Shri Amit Shah said that today, they have become part of a vast family of seven lakh Sarathis and, by joining Bharat Taxi, are giving new strength to the cooperative movement. He said that he has full confidence that in the times to come, this cooperative institution will achieve new heights in the mobility and transport sector and will certainly succeed. Today, they have become part of a vast cooperative family with which crores of farmers of the country are associated, and now the Sarathis of Gujarat too are becoming an integral part of this glorious cooperative family.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the country the mantra of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’. Bharat Taxi is an important initiative towards realising this mantra in the mobility and transport sector. He said that in the days to come, cooperation will expand into more new sectors and Bharat Taxi will become a strong medium for the respect, security and prosperity of Sarathis.
Shri Amit Shah extended his best wishes to all Sarathis of Gujarat and said that the success of Bharat Taxi will be determined by the spirit of service, cooperative ethos and the participation of Sarathis. He said that by joining Bharat Taxi, Sarathis have paved the way for all three — their prosperity, respect and security.
During the programme, Memorandums of Understanding were also exchanged with various institutions for the expansion and smooth operation of Bharat Taxi. These included Airports Authority of India, Rajkot; Airports Authority of India, Surat; Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation; Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation/Bus Rapid Transit System; Gujarat State Cooperative Bank; Adani Airport; Gujarat Traffic Police; Western Railway–Ahmedabad Division; and Vadodara Airport. These MoUs will further strengthen Bharat Taxi’s service reach in areas related to airports, railways, metro, urban transport and traffic management. Share certificates were also distributed to the best-performing Sarathis during the programme.