Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched India's first cooperation-based taxi service 'Bharat Taxi' in Gujarat on June 27, 2026, from Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar. The initiative realizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi' by extending cooperative principles to the transport sector through the 'Saarthi Hi Maalik' (Driver as Owner) model.
Bharat Taxi is a digital mobility platform registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, established on June 6, 2025, and soft-launched in Gujarat in December 2025. The platform is developed by Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited with support from eight major cooperative institutions: National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative (KRIBHCO), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL).
The service operates on a zero-commission model ensuring maximum benefits reach the drivers directly. Drivers receive economic empowerment, social security, and ownership benefits including insurance, loans, pension, and various government social security schemes. For customers, Bharat Taxi provides safe and reliable travel in collaboration with Gujarat Police with surge-free pricing and multiple transport options including bike, auto, and cab services.
Gujarat has shown remarkable adoption with over 1.5 lakh drivers (Saarthis) from the state out of 7 lakh nationwide, and more than 7 lakh customers from Gujarat have used the service from a total of 37 lakh customers across India. The platform currently completes over 3,500 rides daily in Gujarat. Services are operational in 14 major cities: Ahmedabad, Surat, Dwarka, Vadodara, Rajkot, Somnath, Valsad, Anand, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Nadiad, Junagadh, Mehsana, and Amreli, with plans to expand across all of Gujarat within the next month.
During the launch event, more than 4,000 drivers from Gujarat participated, and best-performing drivers were felicitated with share certificates strengthening the cooperation-based ownership model. Memorandums of Understanding were exchanged between various institutions to support the initiative's expansion. Bharat Taxi aims to expand to all states and major cities nationwide, establish dedicated support centers in every state, and further strengthen social security for drivers while integrating with national digital public infrastructure.