Bharat Taxi To Be Launched In Pune In May, Likely To Affect Business Of Ola, Uber & Rapido
· Free Press Journal
Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) said that the Centre's new government-monitored cooperative cab service, Bharat Taxi, would be launched in the city in May. As of now, the Bharat Taxi service is operational in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Somnath and Dwarka.
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Know about Bharat Taxi
As per a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, Bharat Taxi is India’s first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform. This is among the Centre’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the cooperative sector and promote inclusive, citizen-centric mobility solutions, in line with the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’.
Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, Bharat Taxi was established on June 6, 2025, by eight national-level institutions working in field of cooperatives and officially launched on February 5, 2026.
150 New 'Lal Pari' Buses To Boost MSRTC Services In Pune DivisionBharat Taxi is a transition from the conventional “driver-partner” model to a “Sarathi-owner” model wherein drivers can become owners of the cooperative society, have representation in the Board of Management and participate in profit sharing.
The Bharat Taxi platform operates on a zero-commission model, with direct distribution of profits to drivers, offering a homegrown and indigenous alternative to investment-driven aggregator platforms.
It has a transparent fare structure, a user-friendly mobile ride-booking interface, real-time vehicle tracking, multilingual support, and 24/7 customer support, enabling sarathis (drivers) to participate in cooperative ownership while ensuring the platform's sustainable growth.
LPG Crisis In Pune Forces Students To Survive On One Meal A DayIt has also launched a women-focused ‘Sarthi Didi’ feature to encourage women’s employment as drivers and enhance safety for women passengers by facilitating women to hire women-driven taxi options besides incorporating safety features like SOS, live location tracking and dedicated 24X7 customer support.
As on March 1, 2026, Bharat Taxi has 21.34 lakh registered users and 2.31 lakh registered sarathis.
Will it affect the business of Ola, Uber & Rapido?
Ride-hailing applications like Ola, Uber and Rapido command a strong driver network and brand recall due to years of operational experience. Due to this, the rides match faster and there is consistent availability.
Pune Sees Sharp Rise In Drink & Drive Cases; 15,000+ Booked In 3 YearsHowever, it is estimated that rides on Bharat Taxi will be up to 30 per cent cheaper compared to other applications since savings from zero commissions will be passed on to passengers. Moreover, there won't be surge pricing during peak hours as it will follow a stable pricing model to attract cost-conscious customers.
It needs to be seen if Punekars make give Bharat Taxi a thumbs up as they are already fed up with other applications due to alleged harassment by drivers.