Bharat Taxi officially launched in India: How is it different from Ola, Uber?
Bharat Taxi has officially launched in India. The app, backed by the Indian government, promises transparent fares and better payments to drivers than private cab aggregators like Uber and Ola.
Bharat Taxi is officially here. The cooperative ride-hailing service was launched by Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah at an event held at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. A Bharat Taxi rally was also organized to mark the launch of the service, which was attended by drivers and customers.
During the launch, Shah said, Bharat Taxi “empowers drivers as owners of profits and provides them with respect and dignity.”
Bharat Taxi app is now available for all users in Delhi-NCR. This app was earlier in the pilot phase in the region. It is expected to expand to more states and cities in the coming months.
What is Bharat Taxi?
Unlike private cab aggregators like Uber and Ola, Bharat Taxi not only promises better wages for drivers but also transparent fares for customers. Bharat Taxi operates on a no-commission model, whereby drivers receive the full fare collected by them. According to the service, the high commission of private apps was a major concern for cab drivers.
According to Vivek Pandey, CEO of Bharat Taxi, the ride-hailing service currently does not charge any money from drivers. However, in the near future, drivers may have to pay between Rs 25 and Rs 30 per day. Pandey says this figure is less than the high commission charged by companies like Uber and Ola.
Passengers can also benefit from Bharat Taxi. The service claims to charge affordable fares for rides, without any surge pricing. Surge pricing on private cab aggregators raises fare prices when demand is high. Instead, fares on Bharat Taxi will be fixed and transparent.
Is Bharat Taxi owned by the government?
Although Bharat Taxi is supported by the Ministry of Cooperation, it is not a government initiative. This service is operated and managed by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited. The cooperative society has the support of Amul and other major cooperative societies.
India will give loans to taxi drivers, focus on safety
According to Bharat Taxi, it will provide government loans to drivers in the future to purchase their own taxis for the service. SEWA believes that this will create more employment opportunities.
Bharat Taxi has partnered with Delhi Police and Gujarat Police for the safety of passengers and drivers. The app will have features like real-time tracking, verified drivers, multilingual support and 24×7 customer service. There is also a plan to connect it to the metro network.