Gandhinagar: Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today launched Bharat Taxi, India’s first driver-owned ride-hailing platform, across 14 major cities in Gujarat. The platform is expected to be rolled out across the state within a month.

The cities where the service went live today include Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Dwarka, Somnath, Valsad, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, and Amreli.

Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, and established on June 6, 2025, Bharat Taxi was soft-launched in Gujarat in December 2025 and is also operational in Delhi-NCR. More than 37 lakh customers across India have used the platform so far, according to the Ministry of Cooperation.

The platform is built on a zero-commission model, a significant departure from conventional ride-hailing apps, ensuring that earnings flow directly to drivers, referred to as Saarthis. Beyond fares, Saarthis are entitled to insurance, loans, pensions, and various government social security schemes.

Gujarat has emerged as the platform’s strongest base. Of the 7 lakh Saarthis enrolled nationally, over 1.5 lakh are from the state, a figure the Ministry of Cooperation has cited as evidence of Gujarat’s historic strength in the cooperative movement.

Developed by Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited, Bharat Taxi is backed by eight major cooperative institutions, NCDC, GCMMF (Amul), NDDB, NAFED, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NABARD, and NCEL. DeshGujarat