It missed the January 1 deadline. But India’s domestic cab service, Bharat Taxi app is now available in select cities like Delhi-NCR and is competing with Ola and Uber in real time. In other words, you can download Bharat Taxi on your Android or iPhone and use it to book rides – in many cases at slightly cheaper rates than you’d get with Uber or Ola.

The app uses a cooperative model and is therefore not owned like a private tech company. Instead, it is run and managed by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited. It is also supported by the Ministry of Co-operation and many of the key people involved have experience with Amul, which is considered one of the biggest successes of the cooperative model in the world.

At a time when we are tired of surge fees, poorly maintained cabs and high prices, Bharat Taxi promises a transparent approach. The service claims that there will be no surge pricing and its fares will be transparent for riders. Bharat Taxi also says drivers will get 80 percent of the earnings from rides, without any commission-based pay, something drivers have complained about when it comes to private aggregators.

Since appearing in the App Store, the Bharat Taxi app has gained more than 4 lakh users. There are already over one lakh drivers registered on the app.

India taxi app gets better with interface

While the app has been available in the Android and Apple App Stores since early December, as of now it continues to be in pilot or beta mode. But now it is very close to the full and formal launch. “We have received a very good response for the Bharat Taxi service during the soft launch. The official launch will be done by the end of the month,” Pankaj Kumar Bansal, additional secretary in the ministry of cooperation, had told PTI a few days ago.

Over the past few days, the app has received a major update that tweaks its interface and brings more ride options for users, at least in Delhi-NCR. Earlier it was only booking rides to the airport, but now the app accepts rides to any point within its service area. This is similar to the operations of Uber and Ola.

The app also has a fresh interface, which is clearly similar to Uber and Ola. The app looks more modern now. You get bright orange colors in the interface, and the 3D avatars for the cabs and autos look good too. Like the two private apps, Bharat Taxi also offers a variety of rides ranging from premium cars to auto and bike rides. You can use the app to book AC and non-AC cabs, or even XL cabs for up to 6 passengers. Apart from cabs, you also get options to book bike taxi or auto. Previous fares, airport operations and intercity options will remain in place.

booking a cab on bharat taxi

We got a chance to speak to a user who recently booked a cab on Bharat Taxi. South Delhi resident Jasdeep used to book BlueSmart, but was forced to switch to Uber after BlueSmart ceased operations. On January 6, 2026, Jasdeep booked a cab on Bharat Taxi for a distance of about 5 km from GK Market, Greater Kailash to South X, New Delhi. She says the Bharat Taxi fare was about Rs 15 cheaper than the fare shown on Uber.

After booking the ride, the app showed that the driver would arrive in 2 minutes. However, Jasdeep said he had to wait for 15 minutes before the cab reached the pickup point. When the driver was asked about the delay, he said, ‘This is a glitch, we are fixing it.’ As it turned out, the driver was the only one nearby and had to travel a long distance to reach the location. Once in the car, Jasdeep found the cab experience to be similar to what he gets on any other app.

What are drivers saying about Bharat Taxi?

On the way back, Jasdeep decided to book an Uber instead. But during the journey, she chatted with the driver and learned that he was also using Bharat Taxi to accept rides. The driver informed him that currently the ridership volume on Bharat Taxi is so low that he cannot completely depend on it for earning.

The driver also claimed that, at least for short trips, Bharat Taxi was not paying them extra as promised compared to private ride-hailing apps. Another cab driver, who discussed the app with India Today Tech, was also a little hesitant to fully engage with Bharat Taxi. The driver, who was using multiple ride-hailing apps to get rides, said he was concerned that Bharat Taxi might do something similar to private apps in offering incentives initially and withdrawing them later.

Of course, most of this is anecdotal at this point. And keep in mind that Bharat Taxi is not fully launched yet. But even so early on, considering the coverage it offers and the ride-hailing features it has, the app appears to be a well-built competitor to Ola and Uber. How it all works after a few months of operation will only become clear when the app formally launches in a few weeks, and more people and drivers get a chance to use it.