Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused private transport companies of engaging in unfair competition by operating at a loss and slashing fares to drive out the cooperative mobility platform, Bharat Taxi. He declared that Bharat Taxi will expand to over 500 cities across India within two years.
Launch in 14 Gujarat Cities
Speaking at the official launch of Bharat Taxi in Gujarat at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Shah launched the service in 14 major cities: Ahmedabad, Surat, Dwarka, Vadodara, Rajkot, Somnath, Valsad, Anand, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Nadiad, Junagadh, Mehsana, and Amreli. The service was soft-launched in the state in December 2025.
Shah Dismisses Fare Complaints
Shah addressed reports claiming Bharat Taxi's fares are higher, calling them misleading. "Today, I received some phone calls, and some newspapers have reported that Bharat Taxi's fares are higher. I want to tell customers across the country that wherever Bharat Taxi is entering, competing companies are slashing their fares, ready to incur losses," he said. He emphasized that Bharat Taxi's objective is not to cause losses to anyone, but that competitors are reducing fares and offering higher commissions to drivers only to block Bharat Taxi's market entry.
Allegations of Unfair Tactics
According to Shah, some companies want to engage in unfair competition, operate at a loss, and drive Bharat Taxi out of the market. "They want to prevent Bharat Taxi from succeeding so that they can once again operate arbitrarily," Shah said, adding that such tactics will not work in India, where "the spirit of cooperation and the desire to work for the welfare of others are the greatest strength."
Cooperative Model and Zero Commission
Bharat Taxi is India's first cooperative-led, driver-owned ride-hailing service, designed as a fair alternative to traditional aggregators. Backed by the Central government and major cooperatives, it operates on a zero-commission model where drivers are platform owners and keep the full fare. Shah noted that private companies exploited both drivers and customers for profit, deducting commissions and delaying payments, and suspending registrations without a hearing. "Bharat Taxi's primary objective is to ensure that neither sarathis nor customers are exploited," he said.
Expansion Plans and MoUs
Shah announced that Bharat Taxi will reach Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Kolkata before July 31. "Within two years, covering both large and small places, we are going to launch our two-wheeler, auto-rickshaw, and four-wheeler concept in 500 cities and towns," he said. The service launched in three categories: two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, and four-wheelers. Bharat Taxi also signed Memoranda of Understanding with Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Gujarat State Cooperative Bank, Traffic Police, Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad airports, and the Ahmedabad Division of Western Railway to expand operations.
Event Attendees
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi, Minister Jitu Vaghani, Ministry of Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, senior cooperative sector functionaries, and over 4,000 'Saarthis' associated with Bharat Taxi attended the event. Shah told the Saarthis they are part of a large cooperative family that includes crores of farmers. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' (Prosperity through Cooperation) and said the cooperative model will expand into other sectors.
