Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday launched the Bharat Taxi ride-hailing service at the Navi Mumbai International Airport premises, introducing a zero-commission, surge-free platform aimed at offering affordable fares to passengers while ensuring higher earnings for drivers.
The Bharat Taxi service has been developed as an indigenous alternative to app-based ride aggregators backed by foreign investment. Operating on a zero-commission model, the platform allows drivers to retain their earnings directly, with financial transactions managed by the state’s Cooperative Department.
Speaking at the launch event, jointly organised by the Central and Maharashtra governments, Fadnavis said commuters using Bharat Taxi would not have to pay surge pricing during festivals, peak travel periods or heavy monsoon rains.
According to the Chief Minister, fares have been aligned with conventional meter-taxi rates, with passengers charged ₹31 for the first 1.5 kilometres and ₹21 per kilometre thereafter.
“Private aggregators made significant contributions, but passengers and drivers face severe hardship from inflated surge fares and heavy commissions,” Fadnavis said. “Bharat Taxi breaks the chain of intermediaries and directly connects passengers with drivers. The state’s Cooperative Department will oversee all financial transactions,” he added.
In the initial phase, 600 taxis have been onboarded onto the platform across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The fleet is expected to expand to more than 1,000 vehicles in the coming months before the service is rolled out across Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. During the event, the state government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sahakar Taxi Co-op Ltd.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Muralidhar Mohol said the initiative follows the ‘Sahakar Taxi’ cooperative model, under which drivers become direct owners and profit-sharing members instead of employees.
He added that around 8 lakh drivers across the country have already joined the broader cooperative network, through which more than ₹77 crore has been transferred directly into drivers’ accounts without deductions by intermediaries.
The launch of Bharat Taxi marks another step in the government’s efforts to promote cooperative business models while offering commuters transparent fares and providing drivers with greater financial benefits.
Source: ET Infra
