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Bharat Taxi Trials Begin in Delhi, Gujarat
Bharat Taxi Trials Begin in Delhi, Gujarat
Context: Bharat Taxi’s pilot launch in Delhi and Gujarat comes at a time when concerns over high commissions, driver protests, and safety gaps in existing ride-hailing platforms are dominating urban mobility debates.
What is Bharat Taxi?
- Driver-Owned Mobility Cooperative: Bharat Taxi is India’s first national ride-hailing service owned and governed by drivers under the Sahakar Taxi Cooperative. Launched on a pilot basis in Delhi and Gujarat, it already has a network of over 51,000 registered drivers across cars, autos, and bikes.
- Tech-Enabled Platform: The service operates through the Bharat Taxi app on Android (iOS underway) and is integrated with Delhi Metro to offer seamless, multimodal connectivity—aligning with the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP 2014), which stresses last-mile integration.
- Inclusive Governance Model: Drivers receive the full fare, board representation, and dividends on cooperative shares. Safety protocols have been developed with the Delhi Police.
How can it be a game-changer for the Indian economy?
- Strengthening Driver Incomes and Cooperative Federalism: By eliminating platform commissions, Bharat Taxi can significantly raise driver earnings—addressing issues highlighted in the NITI Aayog 2022 report on platform workers, which flagged income volatility in current aggregator models.
- Enhancing Urban Mobility Efficiency: Metro integration supports last-mile connectivity, reducing congestion and fuel use—an objective emphasised in the Economic Survey 2020-21 under sustainable mobility.
- Promoting Domestic Digital Ecosystems: A driver-owned Indian alternative reduces dependence on foreign-owned aggregators, aligning with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) goals and strengthening local value capture.
Supporting Social Equity: The cooperative model ensures democratic control, better grievance redressal, and worker dignity—reflecting principles in the Draft National Cooperative Policy 2022.
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The Source’s Authority and Ownership of the Article is Claimed By THE STUDY IAS BY MANIKANT SINGH
