New Delhi, 23 February (HS): Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the newly launched cooperative ride-hailing platform “Bharat Taxi” will guarantee a minimum base rate per kilometre for drivers, stating that existing aggregators had not fixed such a floor.

Addressing a town hall interaction with cab and auto drivers from Delhi-NCR and Gujarat, Shah said the platform would return 80 per cent of profits to drivers based on kilometres driven, while retaining 20 per cent as cooperative capital. He said the model aims to ensure that drivers receive assured minimum earnings and a share in surplus income.

Shah drew parallels with the dairy cooperative model, stating that Bharat Taxi is structured as a driver-owned enterprise. Drivers can become co-owners by purchasing a share worth Rs 500, and representation for drivers will be provided on the board of directors as membership expands.

He said the platform aims to enroll 15 crore drivers within two years and expand to all cities with municipal corporations within three years. Currently, services have commenced in Delhi-NCR and Rajkot. Shah acknowledged that the profit-sharing mechanism may take up to three years to fully operationalise.

The minister also announced the introduction of a “Saarathi Didi” feature in the mobile application, allowing women passengers travelling alone to prioritise female drivers. He said a grievance redressal system with online, physical and call centre channels would be established to address drivers’ concerns.

According to the organisers, Bharat Taxi began operations on February 5 following a pilot phase and is backed by multiple cooperative organisations. The platform currently does not deduct commission from drivers, unlike prevailing models in the ride-hailing secto

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar