For years, cab drivers have complained that while ride-hailing apps grew into large businesses, those driving the cars remained on uncertain incomes, with little say in how platforms were run. On Monday, the government said it wants to change that equation through Bharat Taxi, a new cooperative ride-hailing service where drivers can also become owners.
Unveiling the platform, Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah told cab and auto drivers from Delhi-NCR and Gujarat that Bharat Taxi has been designed around one basic idea that drivers should directly benefit when the platform earns money.
According to Shah, the cooperative will distribute 80 per cent of its profits among drivers, calculated on the distance they travel, while 20 per cent will be kept within the organisation to support operations and future expansion. Unlike private platforms, he said, the aim is to avoid a system where earnings rise for the company but remain unpredictable for drivers.
Shah said he had raised the issue of guaranteed earnings with existing ride-hailing firms. “I asked the existing companies whether they had fixed a minimum base rate for drivers. They said no,” he said. “We will ensure your minimum earnings are protected. Anything earned beyond that should also benefit you.” The assurance drew attention to a concern many drivers have raised repeatedly, which is long hours without clarity on daily income.
Govt explains how Bharat Taxi cooperative model works, gives example of Amul
To explain how driver ownership would work in practice, Shah referred to Amul, a cooperative that began with small contributions from producers and grew into a large enterprise. “Nearly 36 lakh women invested just Rs 50 each to build Amul into a Rs 1.25 lakh crore organisation,” he said. “In private companies, profits go to owners. In Amul, most profits go back to producers. Bharat Taxi follows the same idea in the mobility sector.”
Drivers who join Bharat Taxi can become members of the cooperative by purchasing a share for Rs 500. Shah said this would allow drivers to move beyond being service providers. As membership increases, drivers will also be represented on the cooperative’s board, giving them a role in questioning and influencing decisions. “If any decision goes against drivers, your representative will question it and protect your interests,” he said.
The rollout of Bharat Taxi is planned in phases. At present, the service is available in Delhi-NCR and Rajkot. Shah said the platform aims to onboard up to 15 crore drivers over the next two years and reach all cities with municipal corporations within three years.
He also acknowledged that the cooperative’s profit-sharing system would not deliver immediate results. According to Shah, it could take close to three years for the model to function smoothly at scale, and drivers were urged to stay with the platform during the early period.
Bharat Taxi was launched on February 5 after completing a two-month pilot and has support from eight cooperative organisations. As it prepares for a wider rollout, it will compete with established players such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido.
