Bharat Taxi reimagines ride-hailing to empower drivers

Bharat Taxi, a new ride-hailing mobility platform owned and operated by a drivers’ collective, is all set for roll-out in January 2026. Based out of Delhi, the ride-hailing company will run on a cooperative model, unlike the conventional corporate models that use a differential pricing model and profit at the expense of the drivers.

Being a cooperative, Bharat Taxi will operate on a zero-commission basis and enhance the earnings of driver members, a development that would disrupt the current ride-hailing market dominated by operators like Uber, Ola and Rapido.

Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the operator of Bharat Taxi, is chaired by Jayen Mehta, the managing director of Amul, and it has the backing of the ministry of cooperation and institutional support of the National e-Governance Division (NeGD). 

Like Amul that transformed the lives of millions of small dairy farmers in Gujarat, Bharat Taxi has the potential to replicate that success nationwide, bringing new vigour to the ailing cab service sector that has been badly affected by the entry of the ride-hailing companies.

But, unlike Amul that distributes members’ produce, Bharat Taxi will be distributing a service provided by the drivers.

While existing ride-hailing platforms take a 20–30 per cent margin frrom each trip, Bharat Taxi works on a zero-commission basis. Drivers will be the sole beneficiary, retaining 80 to 100 per cent of the fares. Only a fraction of the collection will go to the common pool for meeting operating expenses. For cab owners who are hard pressed to meet EMI payments as well as operating costs, this would ensure some gains.

Since drivers are also stakeholders of Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, Bharat Taxi’s governing board is expected to include elected driver representatives, giving them a say in decision-making. 

For passengers, Bharat Taxi promises relief by way of minimum fare, which has been fixed at Rs30 and a promise of no surge pricing. Here fares are calculated on the basis of running distances (in kilometres) and would remain fixed.

As per the announced pricing structure, the base fare is Rs30 for up to 4 km, beyond which the fare will be Rs23 per km up to 12 km and beyond that it would be Rs18 per km. Bharat Taxi promises quick pickups, often within two minutes.

To start with, however, existing cab service providers are sure to put up a fight through reduced charges as they try to keep off the impending danger of desertion by current driver partners.