New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah recently held a landmark interaction in New Delhi with the drivers of Bharat Taxi, whom he officially designated as Sarathis. During the event, Shah announced a paradigm shift in the transport sector, asserting that the labor force behind the wheels should be the true owners and beneficiaries of the enterprise. He unveiled a cooperative model designed to dismantle the profit-heavy structures of private aggregators, ensuring that the wealth generated by the service remains with the drivers.
The Minister explained that Bharat Taxi has been formed by uniting five major national cooperatives. To cement their status as partners, any Sarathi can gain ownership rights by purchasing shares worth 500 rupees. This model extends into the governance of the company, as specific seats on the Board of Directors will be reserved for drivers. This ensures that the people operating the vehicles are the ones drafting the policies and representing their own interests, rather than being subject to the decisions of a corporate third party.
Financial transparency and driver welfare are the cornerstones of this new movement. Shah detailed a distribution plan where 80 percent of the money collected is returned to the Sarathis based on their mileage, while the remaining 20 percent is held as capital for the cooperative. After an initial three-year expansion phase, 80 percent of all generated profits will also be shared directly with the drivers. To prevent the “race to the bottom” often seen in the gig economy, Bharat Taxi will implement a baseline kilometer rate that accounts for vehicle costs, fuel, and a guaranteed minimum profit, ensuring no ride is operated at a loss for the driver.
A significant social component of the launch is the Sarathi Didi initiative. This program aims to empower women drivers and enhance the safety of female passengers by providing a dedicated priority system within the app. Additionally, the Union Minister highlighted that Bharat Taxi would facilitate vehicle loans through cooperative banks and provide a dedicated grievance window on their website to resolve driver issues in real-time. Shah concluded by calling for a change in societal perspective, urging drivers to take pride in the title of Sarathi and view themselves as the pillars of a transparent, cooperative-led revolution in Indian transport.