When we hear the word ‘cooperation’, the picture of Amul’s milk revolution often emerges in our mind. But today a new digital revolution is running on the roads of Gujarat whose name is ‘Bharat Taxi’. This is not just an app, but the story of thousands of charioteers making the dream of prosperity come true with the help of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who are no longer employees of any company, but are the owners of this mobility platform themselves. This initiative, launched by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on February 5, has become the world’s biggest example of the confluence of technology and human dignity.
Jayen Mehta, chairman of Bharat Taxi and MD of Amul, sees this change as a big revolution. According to him, “By launching the driver-owned model, Bharat Taxi has ensured that 100% of the ride earnings reach the drivers directly without any deduction. Today, by emerging as the world’s largest mobility cooperative, it is not only restoring the dignity of the charioteers, but is also giving a new benchmark globally to the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samridhi’.”
The ‘game’ of commission is over, now the charioteer is the owner
The biggest tragedy of Sarathi’s in the mobility sector till now has been huge commissions and uncertain income. But ‘Bharat Taxi’ has destroyed this old pattern. There is no middleman or corporate here, rather the charioteers themselves are the stakeholders of this cooperative. Its direct impact is visible at ground zero. After joining this platform, the monthly income of an average Sarathi has increased by 25% to 30%. This figure is not just a document of earnings, but also of the well-being of thousands of families who are now moving out of the traditional aggregator model.
This change in the lives of charioteers can be well understood from the experience of Praveen Thakor. He says, “Working with other companies was no longer profitable. But after joining ‘Bharat Taxi’, we are getting excellent rates and response. By joining this model, any Sarathi can earn good money and secure the future of his family.”
Passengers are getting savings of up to 15% through transparent system
Bharat Taxi is not limited to just increasing the income of charioteers, but it has also given a new dimension to the passenger experience. While private aggregator platforms face uncertainty in fares due to dynamic pricing, Bharat Taxi has kept the fare structure stable and transparent. Passengers are directly benefiting from this, who have to pay 15% less fare on an average.
Explaining the ground reality of this ‘win-win’ model of savings for passengers and freedom for charioteers, driver Janak Barot says, “There is ‘zero commission’ here and the payment comes directly into our account; we feel ourselves the owners of it. As compared to ₹30/km of other companies, we are charging the customers an economical rate of ₹17-18, which is beneficial for them too. As the organization expands in the future, we will also get the benefits of schemes like pension and insurance.” Will get it.”
Now soon Bharat Taxi will start in Vadodara also
With over 6 lakh Saarthis across the country including 1 lakh in Gujarat and 35 lakh+ app downloads, ‘Bharat Taxi’ is fast becoming a strong national platform. After the great success in Ahmedabad and Surat, Vadodara is now the next major center of expansion for the company. To further strengthen its ground hold, the company is making it a people-centric brand by directly connecting with users in high traffic areas like IT parks, housing societies and airports under the ‘Below the Line’ (BTL) strategy.
On this growing network and easy process, Ajay Kumar Gupta, President of Ahmedabad Rickshaw Pullers Ekta Union, says, “What attracts the customers is that this is ‘Apne Bharat Ki Company’ and no commission is taken from the charioteers. I appeal to all the charioteers to join it. Its process is so easy that approval is received within just 12 hours of submitting the documents on the app itself.”
Gujarat Police’s ‘Suraksha Kavach’ and Integrated Transit System
Testament to the unmatched synergy of security and technology is its direct SOS integration with Gujarat Police, which acts as a ‘security blanket’ for the passengers and charioteers. Not only this, dedicated route connectivity to holy pilgrimage sites like Somnath and Dwarkadhish has made Bharat Taxi not limited to just urban transport, but has also made Bharat Taxi the charioteer of faith and trust of the devotees.
Not only this, to maintain the quality of service, so far more than 10,000 drivers have been given intensive training in digital literacy and soft skills. Its ‘Integrated Transit System’ with Metro, GSRTC and Airport Authority has made traveling in Gujarat a seamless experience.
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