Sahkar Taxi Cooperative begins soft launch of Bharat Taxi in Delhi, Gujarat

Sahkar Taxi Cooperative has started beta consumer trials of its Bharat Taxi ride-hailing app in Delhi and parts of Gujarat, pitching a driver-owned model with Metro integration and safety tie-ups.

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A soft launch of the ambitious ride-hailing service 'Bharat Taxi' started in the national capital and Gujarat on Tuesday.

 

The Sahkar Taxi Cooperative, touted as the world's first national mobility cooperative owned by drivers, has kickstarted beta consumer trials of the service. This service is set to take on ride-hailing peers like Ola, Uber and Rapido.

 

The platform is already positioning itself as the world's largest driver-owned mobility network, with more than 51,000 drivers across cars, autos, and bikes registered in New Delhi and Saurashtra, Gujarat.

 

The Bharat Taxi mobile application is currently available on the Google Play Store for trials and collecting feedback. The app will also be released on iOS soon, the cooperative said.

 

The service is integrated with Delhi Metro, allowing users to make bookings at one place.

 

“A unique feature of the app is integration with transit services like Metro rail, which would mean that the users can seamlessly do all bookings on one app. They can complete their journey with multiple modes of transportation very conveniently,” said a statement from the cooperative.

 

According to the cooperative, drivers will get the full share of payment made by customers, representation on the board of the organisation and a dividend on their shares.

 

The cooperative has also collaborated with the Delhi Police to ensure safety for both riders and drivers.

 

According to a person in the know, the application will also provide an in-app customer support feature similar to other platforms.

 

The person added that there will also be overlaps with drivers who are onboarded on Ola, Uber, and Rapido.

 

The possibility of earning the maximum income will incentivise drivers to prefer the Bharat Taxi app. 

 

A few months back, the Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited was formally registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act with an authorised share capital of ₹300 crore. 

 

Earlier, Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah had also announced plans to launch a taxi-hailing service in the cooperatives sector that would allow registration of two-wheelers, rickshaws, taxis, and four-wheelers under one platform.