HM Amit Shah Launches ‘Bharat Taxi’ in Gujarat
Cooperative mobility platform to empower over 7 lakh 'Sarathis'; services launched in major Gujarat cities
- Amit Shah launched cooperative-based Bharat Taxi in Gujarat.
- Platform begins services in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and other major cities.
- Shah said drivers will be shareholders, not just service providers.
- Bharat Taxi targets expansion to over 500 cities within two years.
GG News Bureau
Gandhinagar, 27th June: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Saturday launched the cooperative-based mobility platform ‘Bharat Taxi’ in Gujarat, describing it as a major step towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ in the transport sector.
The platform has commenced operations across major Gujarat cities, including Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot, offering two-wheeler, auto-rickshaw and four-wheeler services through a cooperative model designed to empower drivers, referred to as ‘Sarathis’.
Addressing the launch event at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Shah said Bharat Taxi aims to provide dignity, financial security and ownership to transport service providers by making them shareholders in the cooperative instead of merely drivers working for private aggregators.
He said more than 7 lakh Sarathis have already joined the platform, while nearly 37 lakh customers have availed its services, reflecting growing public confidence in the initiative.
Shah alleged that competing app-based taxi companies had temporarily reduced fares to prevent Bharat Taxi’s expansion but asserted that the cooperative platform would continue to compete through transparency, service and public trust rather than arbitrary pricing practices.
The Home Minister said Bharat Taxi would expand to more than 500 cities and towns over the next two years and launch services in seven major cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Kolkata, before July 31.
During the programme, Bharat Taxi signed Memorandums of Understanding with several organisations, including the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation, Gujarat State Cooperative Bank, Ahmedabad Airport, Western Railway, Gujarat Traffic Police and airport authorities in Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, to strengthen service integration and commuter convenience.
Shah said Bharat Taxi would also support Sarathis through access to loans, insurance and business expansion opportunities, making it a long-term cooperative model focused on service, fairness and sustainable livelihoods.
