Amit Shah Unveils Bharat Taxi in Gujarat, Announces Expansion to 500 Cities Within Two Years

Gandhinagar, June 2026: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced an ambitious nationwide expansion plan for the cooperative mobility platform Bharat Taxi, saying the service aims to extend its operations to more than 500 cities and towns across India within the next one-and-a-half to two years. He described the initiative as a major step towards strengthening the cooperative movement while creating greater economic opportunities for drivers across the country.

Launching Bharat Taxi in Gujarat, Shah said the platform had already been tested through pilot operations at various locations and has now officially commenced services across the state’s major urban centres.

“Today Bharat Taxi has been formally launched in Gujarat. From today onwards, the service has started operating in all the major cities of the state across three categories — two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and four-wheelers,” he said.

Highlighting the scale of the initiative, Shah said the cooperative platform has already enrolled nearly seven lakh drivers, referred to as “Sarathis”, who are not merely service providers but shareholders in the organisation. He emphasised that the cooperative ownership model distinguishes Bharat Taxi from conventional ride-hailing platforms.

“I am delighted that today all of you have become members of the family of seven lakh Sarathis and are now a part of Bharat Taxi,” he told the newly enrolled members.

The Home Minister outlined an aggressive roadmap for the platform’s national rollout, expressing confidence that Bharat Taxi would soon establish a presence in almost every major region of the country.

“Within one and a half to two years, Bharat Taxi will expand to more than 500 cities. There will hardly be any place left where the service is not available. We are determined to reach every corner of the country,” Shah said.

As part of the immediate expansion strategy, he announced that operations would soon begin in several important cities.

“We will shortly launch services in Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata. Before July 31, Bharat Taxi will have reached all these seven cities,” he added.

Shah said the cooperative structure would remain the foundation of the platform’s growth, ensuring that drivers become stakeholders in the enterprise instead of functioning solely as independent contractors.

According to him, the model promotes financial security, greater dignity and long-term prosperity for those engaged in the transport sector.

The Home Minister linked the initiative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader vision of strengthening India’s cooperative ecosystem through the Ministry of Cooperation.

“Our respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the nation the mantra of ‘Prosperity through Cooperation’. Bharat Taxi represents an effort to translate that vision into reality in the fields of transportation and mobility,” Shah said.

He noted that the cooperative movement is steadily expanding into newer sectors and that Bharat Taxi reflects the government’s commitment to creating people-centric business models where the benefits are shared among members.

Congratulating the new driver-members from Gujarat, Shah said joining the cooperative platform would not only improve their livelihoods but also provide greater stability and self-respect.

“By becoming a part of Bharat Taxi, you have taken an important step towards your prosperity, dignity and economic security,” he remarked.

Expressing confidence in the future of the initiative, Shah said Bharat Taxi has the potential to emerge as one of India’s leading cooperative organisations in the transport and mobility sector. He added that the platform would serve as an example of how cooperative institutions can successfully compete in modern service industries while ensuring that ownership and profits remain with the people who contribute directly to the enterprise.