- Why in news
- On 17 August 2026, PIB published a explainer on Bharat Taxi, India's first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, giving user numbers as of 25 July 2026 and a plan for nationwide reach by 2029.
- What it is
- Bharat Taxi is a ride-hailing platform run as a multi-state cooperative society. Drivers, called Sarathis, are member owners who hold shares in it. It is promoted by the Ministry of Cooperation as a cooperative alternative to commission-based app cab companies.
- Legal basis
- It is registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, which governs cooperatives working in more than one state.
- Founders
- Eight national cooperative institutions set it up on 6 June 2025, including NCDC, IFFCO, NABARD, KRIBHCO, Amul, NAFED, NDDB and NCEL.
- Earnings model
- It is zero-commission and surge-free, with a subscription-based model so drivers keep full fares.
- Scale
- As of 25 July 2026 it had nearly 8 lakh registered drivers and about 41 lakh customers.
Don’t confuse with Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 vs Cooperative Societies Acts of states: The 2002 Act covers societies whose members and operations span more than one state. Other cooperatives are governed by state laws.
Don’t confuse with e-Shram vs AB-PMJAY: e-Shram is a database of unorganised workers under the Labour Ministry. AB-PMJAY is a health insurance scheme; registration on e-Shram helps access it.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Gives gig drivers ownership and a share of surplus, countering high platform commissions.
- Extends the Sahkar se Samriddhi idea of cooperatives into the urban services sector.
Problems
- Competing with large private platforms that have deeper capital, scale and driver incentives.
- Keeping democratic governance and professional management effective with lakhs of members.
Way forward
- Build the user base city by city while keeping service quality and safety standards.
- Link drivers firmly to social security through e-Shram and insurance, and review the governance model regularly.
Put in your answer
Cooperative model in platform economy: Bharat Taxi is a driver-owned alternative to commission-based gig platforms, with reserved Sarathi seats on its Board.
Gig worker welfare: Sarathis are facilitated to join e-Shram and get insurance, an example of linking gig workers to social security.
- 2014Mains GS3 · Q4Cooperative society as village credit body; agri finance constraints.
- 2021Mains GS1 · Q10Role of gig economy in empowering women in India.
- 2020Prelims Q59Statements on DCCBs' short-term agri credit and role funding PACS.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting cooperative initiative under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002; new and less likely to be set. Schemes are 16% of Prelims news questions.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.