Union Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal informed the Rajya Sabha that the government plans to expand Bharat Taxi, a cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, across the country. He explained that the service is expected to reach major cities as well as talukas within the next two to three years.
Government Plans Nationwide Expansion of Bharat Taxi to Major Cities and Talukas Within Two to Three Years
While answering a supplementary question during Question Hour on Wednesday, the minister noted that the app was officially launched in February this year. At present, the platform is operating in Delhi-NCR and several cities in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath, and Dwarka.
Looking ahead, the government intends to gradually increase its presence nationwide. Krishan Pal stated, “In the next two to three years, we will take it to all the big cities and talukas in the country.”
He also shared information about participation in the platform so far, saying that approximately four lakh drivers have already registered with the service.
Furthermore, the minister highlighted the broader purpose behind the initiative. According to him, the main objective of launching the platform is to give drivers ownership and control over their work. As he explained, the goal was to make “the worker, i.e. the driver, the owner.”
Meanwhile, passengers have frequently raised concerns about the high and unpredictable taxi fares at airports. These complaints often arise during peak travel times, late-night hours, or poor weather conditions when app-based ride-hailing services increase prices through surge pricing.
In response to these issues, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has partnered with Bharat Taxi to introduce a more transparent fare system. The collaboration aims to provide regulated pricing that avoids hidden charges and eliminates sudden fare increases caused by dynamic surge pricing.
MoU Signed to Introduce Bharat Taxi Services at 11 AAI-Operated Airports Across India
As part of this initiative, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on February 5. Under this agreement, Bharat Taxi services will be introduced at 11 airports managed by the AAI across the country.
The rollout will occur gradually and will include airports in cities such as Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Rajkot, Patna, Varanasi, Vadodara, Surat, Bhuj, Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Agra.
Finally, the platform differs from traditional ride-hailing services because it follows a cooperative ownership model. In this system, drivers themselves collectively own the platform, which allows them to retain most of their earnings after covering operational expenses.
This cooperative framework is being supported and promoted by the National Cooperative Development Corporation along with other cooperative institutions, with the intention of ensuring fair income opportunities and improved welfare for drivers.
