All about gov-backed Bharat Taxi, new rival to Ola, Uber & Rapido

The government-backed cooperative ride-hailing platform Bharat Taxi was formally launched on Wednesday, entering India’s competitive cab-hailing market dominated by Uber, Ola and Rapido.

Launched in New Delhi by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Bharat Taxi is being promoted under the Ministry of Cooperation and operates on a cooperative ownership model. The platform is currently live in Delhi-NCR and parts of Gujarat, with plans to expand across the country over the next three years.

Unlike existing app-based aggregators, Bharat Taxi positions drivers, referred to as ‘Sarathis’, as shareholders in the platform. Drivers can join the cooperative by contributing a share capital of ₹500, which gives them ownership status. While the platform has highlighted driver ownership as a key differentiator, it has not disclosed detailed onboarding steps beyond the share capital requirement.

According to the government, more than 2.5 lakh drivers have already joined Bharat Taxi in Delhi-NCR, while over 8.5 lakh passengers have registered on the platform so far. The service supports four-wheelers, three-wheelers and two-wheelers.

A key feature of the platform is ‘Sarathi Didi’, a women-focused option that allows women passengers to book rides exclusively with women drivers. The initiative is aimed at improving safety while also creating additional earning opportunities for women drivers.

On pricing, the government has not disclosed specific fare details for passengers. It has said fares will be affordable and free of hidden charges, with no commission deducted from drivers’ earnings, but has not outlined base fares, per-kilometre rates or surge pricing.

Bharat Taxi enters a fast-growing app-based taxi market in India. While Uber and Ola continue to dominate the four-wheeler cab segment, Rapido has expanded rapidly beyond bike taxis into autos and cabs, intensifying competition across categories.

The platform has signed memorandums of understanding with nine institutions, including Delhi Traffic Police, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Airports Authority of India, State Bank of India, IFFCO Tokio and Paytm. These partnerships are expected to enable airport pickups, last-mile metro connectivity, insurance cover for drivers and digital payment integration.

Bharat Taxi will also operate prepaid 34 prepaid taxi booths across 21 locations in Delhi, and has set up a command and control centre for ride monitoring and emergency response.