Bharat Taxi service has been launched in five cities of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Kanpur and Prayagraj. The service is based on the cooperative model with the principle of “Driver is the Owner.”
Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol addressed the launch programme in Lucknow. He said the initiative is aimed at expanding the cooperative movement into emerging sectors such as mobility and enabling drivers to become stakeholders in the service.
During the programme, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also launched the Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana portal, the Urvarak Setu mobile app and the UPCDC mobile app of the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Database Centre. The Airport Authority, Lucknow Metro Rail and Lucknow Police also exchanged Memoranda of Understanding with Bharat Taxi.
According to the Ministry of Cooperation, more than 10 lakh Saarthis have joined Bharat Taxi within six months of its launch in February 2026, with around 20,000 rides being undertaken every day. Around 40 lakh passengers have joined the service, while more than 100 crore rupees has been credited to Saarthis’ accounts during the last six months.
With the latest expansion, around 40,000 Saarthis have registered across the five Uttar Pradesh cities and are expected to begin providing services to passengers.
Mohol said Bharat Taxi differs from conventional aggregator models as the cooperative structure gives drivers a stake in ownership and participation in decision-making. He said earnings from the service are credited directly to the Saarthis’ accounts.
Highlighting the broader expansion of the cooperative sector, Mohol said the Ministry of Cooperation has launched more than 160 initiatives over the past five years. India currently has around 8.5 lakh cooperative societies with nearly 32 crore members, with cooperatives operating across around 30 sectors.
He also highlighted the ongoing computerisation of around 80,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across the country at a cost of approximately 3,000 crore rupees. PACS are increasingly being linked with activities including foodgrain storage, insurance, organic products, indigenous seeds, Common Service Centres and Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
In Uttar Pradesh, more than 54 lakh new members have been enrolled under the M-PACS membership campaign, including around 17.5 lakh farmers. The state is also undertaking computerisation of around 6,300 PACS in three phases.
Mohol said the expansion of the cooperative model into areas such as mobility reflects the widening scope of the sector. He expressed confidence that the cooperative movement will continue to expand and contribute to the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047.
