Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that 'Bharat Taxi' was founded on a fundamentally different philosophy from existing app-based ride-hailing platforms, arguing that the cooperative initiative recognises drivers as "Sarathis" rather than merely service providers.
Addressing thousands of taxi operators at the launch of Bharat Taxi in Gujarat, HM Shah said the distinction reflected the cooperative movement's approach to dignity and ownership rather than a simple change in terminology. "As this expansion happened, different kinds of companies came in.
These companies created different kinds of apps for taxi rentals. They call the taxi operators drivers; I call them Sarathis. That itself reflects the difference in our thinking," he said. He added, "They consider the Sarathi merely a driver, whereas we regard the driver as a Sarathi.
This is the difference between the two systems." HM Shah said the rapid growth of India's mobility sector had transformed the role of taxi services over the past three to four decades. Recalling how taxis were once viewed differently, he said they had now become part of everyday life, with demand reaching virtually every household.
Illustrating the changing nature of the sector, the Home Minister referred to his visit to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, where he noticed motorcycles operating as taxis. "I stopped the vehicle and asked him, 'Brother, how is this a taxi?' He replied that during the Kumbh, they transport people from the railway station to the Kumbh site on motorcycles because four-wheelers are not permitted inside," HM Shah said.
He added that Gujarat's transport system had similarly evolved, with auto-rickshaws becoming an integral part of organised taxi services. "In Gujarat's transport and mobility system, the rickshaw is the lifeline of mobility. Now rickshaws too have been converted into taxis.
So both the use and the scope of taxis have increased," he emphasised. HM Shah said the cooperative model sought to ensure that drivers were treated with dignity by making them stakeholders in the organisation itself. He said: "Today I proudly say that the seven lakh Sarathis associated with Bharat Taxi are the owners of Bharat Taxi; they are shareholders.
When you become a shareholder, the company becomes yours. The cooperative institution becomes your own." He said ownership would provide drivers with "dignity, security and, in the future, prosperity", adding that these principles formed the foundation on which Bharat Taxi had been established.
According to HM Shah, the cooperative model aims to ensure that those providing transport services become participants in the enterprise rather than remaining dependent on private digital platforms.