Bharat Taxi launched in India: Govt-backed alternative to Ola and Uber

Bharat Taxi has been launched in India as a government-backed alternative to established ride-hailing platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido, with a focus on driver ownership and fair earnings. The app is supported by the Ministry of Cooperation and operated by Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited.

Bharat Taxi app: Key details to know

The app is available on both Android and iOS. In its initial phase, Bharat Taxi follows a zero-commission structure, allowing 100 per cent of ride payments to go directly to drivers, who are referred to as Sarathis on the platform. Unlike many existing platforms, Bharat Taxi plans to avoid surge pricing.At a later stage, the cooperative may retain a nominal fee. According to the platform, this amount will not function like a traditional commission but will instead be redistributed to drivers through incentives and welfare measures.

Similar to other ride-hailing apps, Bharat Taxi integrates with public transport services such as the Metro, enabling users to plan multi-modal journeys through a single application. The platform also plans to introduce dedicated pickup and drop zones at airports, with expansion to other transport hubs in the future.The app offers features such as emergency contact alerts, access to a safety team and an in-app siren. Support centres are currently operational at seven key locations in Delhi, offering rapid assistance, verified ride data and on-ground driver support.As part of its women empowerment efforts, initiatives such as “Bike Didi” have been rolled out, with over 150 women drivers already joining the platform. Besides that, more than three lakh drivers have joined Bharat Taxi, over one lakh users are registered, and more than 10,000 rides are being completed daily across Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. (Inputs from ANI).