Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, who is on a two-day visit to his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency on June 27 and 28, launched the cooperative-based ‘Bharat Taxi’ service at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
The launch programme was attended by CM Bhupendra Patel. On the occasion, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with airports in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Surat, along with several government institutions, to expand the service.
Taxi drivers oppose inclusion of private vehicles
The launch event also witnessed dissent from a section of taxi operators, who urged the government not to include private taxi vehicles under the Bharat Taxi model.
During the programme, Bharat Taxi CEO announced that the service has entered into agreements with several organisations, including Vadodara Airport, Adani Airport, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), GETCO, Ahmedabad Police, Rajkot Airport and the Surat Airport Authority.
Service to expand to 500 cities and villages in two years
Addressing the gathering, Amit Shah said, “The Bharat Taxi initiative has been launched to protect both passengers and drivers from exploitation”.
Refuting claims that the service would be expensive he said, “Misleading rumours were being spread about the project”.
Shah added that the service would gradually expand to cities including Mumbai, Nagpur, Jaipur and Kolkata. He further announced that within the next two years, the cooperative transport model covering both two-wheelers and four-wheelers would be rolled out across 500 cities, towns and villages.
‘Historic day for India’s mobility sector’
Addressing the gathering, Shah described the launch of Bharat Taxi as a historic moment for the country’s mobility sector. He said, “The cooperative-based platform was conceived after repeated complaints against private app-based taxi aggregators over high commissions, suspension of driver registrations and delayed payments”.
He added, “Under the new model, those operating vehicles would be known as ‘Sarathis’ rather than drivers and would be stakeholders in the cooperative instead of merely being service providers”.
‘Drivers will get ownership, dignity and financial security’
Shah further said, “Bharat Taxi has been built around three core objectives which are ending the exploitation of both drivers and passengers, giving drivers dignity and ownership, and ensuring prosperity with safety”.
He added, “More than seven lakh drivers across the country have already joined the cooperative, while over 37 lakh people have availed themselves of the service”.
‘Private operators cut fares after Bharat Taxi launch’
Rejecting claims that Bharat Taxi charges higher fares, Shah said that the platform offers competitive pricing. He asserted, “The entry of Bharat Taxi has already forced private taxi aggregators to reduce their fares. Bharat Taxi cannot be derailed by rumours. It will continue to grow and establish itself.”
He added that drivers associated with the cooperative would also receive support in the form of loans, insurance and assistance for business expansion.
CM Bhupendra Patel backs cooperative model
CM Bhupendra Patel said, “Cooperation has always been Gujarat’s identity. Bharat Taxi is not just a transport service but a step towards the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
He expressed confidence by saying, “Gujarat would emerge as the most successful state for the initiative because of its strong cooperative culture. Drivers, who until now have largely worked on fixed earnings under private companies, would become partners in profits through the cooperative model”.
Shah to review projects and organisation during two-day visit
During his two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency, Amit Shah will inaugurate and dedicate development projects worth crores of rupees to the public.
He is also scheduled to hold a series of review meetings with party leaders and government officials to assess organisational and administrative matters.
An important meeting of the District Development Co-ordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) will be held at Gandhinagar Circuit House under the chairmanship of the Union Minister, in which the progress of government schemes will be reviewed.
Amit Shah to review ‘Hariyali Lok Sabha’ plantation drive
Later in the day, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will arrive at the Circuit House Annexe in Ahmedabad’s Shahibaug area, where he is scheduled to chair a high-level review meeting on the mass tree plantation campaign being implemented under the ‘Gandhinagar Lok Sabha – Hariyali Lok Sabha’ initiative. He will assess the progress of the project and issue necessary directions to officials.
Public grievances to be heard at Ranip Lok Darbar
At 6.30 pm, Shah will participate in a public grievance meeting (Lok Darbar) at Shri Swaminarayan International School near GST Crossing in Ranip.
Citizens from the Ranip and Sabarmati wards of the Sabarmati Assembly constituency will have an opportunity to present their grievances and civic issues directly before the Union Minister during the interaction.
Shah to attend Chintan Shivir, launch ‘PM Family Care Tracker’
On the second day of his visit, June 28, Amit Shah will attend a ‘Chintan Shivir’ for booth presidents and Shakti Kendra in-charges of the Sabarmati Assembly constituency at 2.30 pm.
During the session, he is expected to guide party workers on upcoming organisational activities. He is also scheduled to launch the ‘PM Family Care Tracker’ initiative during the programme.
The concluding event of Amit Shah’s two-day visit will be held at the Town Hall in Sector-17, Gandhinagar, where he will formally launch the ambitious PM Family Care Tracker (FCT) programme. The digital platform has been designed to monitor and streamline the delivery of healthcare and welfare services to citizens.
With the visit entering its final stage, the Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad civic administrations, along with the BJP organisation, have completed all logistical and security arrangements for the scheduled programmes.
