Government Launches Bharat Taxi to Build India’s First Cooperative Ride-Hailing Platform
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure | SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities
Institutions: Ministry of Electronics & IT | National e-Governance Division (NeGD) | Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), under the Ministry of Electronics & IT, has signed an MoU with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited to build Bharat Taxi, a first-of-its-kind cooperative-driven, citizen-first national ride-hailing initiative, targeted for launch in December 2025. Through this alliance, NeGD will provide advisory and technical support on platform integration (with DigiLocker, UMANG, API Setu), cybersecurity, privacy, compliance, governance, and inclusive UI/UX design. The platform is backed by prominent cooperatives and financial bodies including NCDC, IFFCO, AMUL, KRIBHCO, NAFED, NABARD, NDDB, NCEL.
It aims to embed cooperative values into India’s mobility sector, prioritise trust and inclusion over private profit, and integrate with national digital public infrastructure.
Bharat Taxi redefines the mobility sector by shifting from centralized private platforms to a cooperative and citizen-centric model. This can democratise ride-hailing, reduce monopoly risks, and align mobility services with public infrastructure. By integrating with national digital systems (like DigiLocker), it can deliver seamless service with stronger identity and privacy safeguards. But to succeed, it needs robust governance, clear accountability, and sustainable incentives for driver-cooperatives in competition with deep-pocketed private giants.
What is a cooperative-driven ride-hailing model? → A platform structure where the service is owned/managed by a cooperative of stakeholders (drivers, cooperatives), rather than by a single private aggregator, so profits, governance and decision-making are shared.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can Bharat Taxi ensure scale, financial viability, seamless user adoption, and governance effectiveness while competing with existing private ride-hailing platforms?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2177382