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New Delhi: Bharat Taxi, a new government-backed cab-hailing app, is gradually gaining momentum across India. The app is supported by the Ministry of Cooperation and has seen a steep surge in user interest just days after going live. Tens of thousands of new registrations are being registered daily. The app is now available on both Android and iOS, and the platform is apparently gaining early visibility among established ride-hailing apps.
The traction garnered by the new app was shared by the official X handle of the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India. Posting on X, the ministry said Bharat Taxi has attracted four lakh registered customers till now and has been adding around 40,000 to 45,000 users daily over the past two days.
Currently, the app holds the ninth position on the Google Play Store and thirteenth on Apple’s App Store, while the driver-focused version is ranked twentieth on the Play Store. The ministry termed this phase as a run-up to a larger nationwide rollout, positioning Bharat Taxi within the broader “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” vision under Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.
Bharat Taxi was launched as a cooperative-based, government-backed alternative in India’s competitive cab aggregation market. The app offers police-verified drivers and promotes a transparent approach to mobility. It puts a huge focus on empowerment of drivers. For users, the interface is clean and easy to navigate, and makes city cab bookings a breeze. Besides, the app provides extra features such as metro ticket bookings and a rental service that permits bookings of up to 12 hours.
The app also includes safety features, enabling users to call the police, notify saved contacts, contact a dedicated safety team, and activate an in-app siren.
Despite the remarkable features, the app has to work on its pricing and make it more competitive. The logging in is easy, requiring only a mobile number, name, and email. However, it has to be made smoother and more seamless. The platform says it will not take any commission from drivers in the initial period, which means the entire fare paid by passengers goes to them. However, the company has indicated that it may introduce a fee of up to 20 per cent in the future, adding that even this amount would be redistributed to drivers in some form. Plans are also there to introduce dedicated pickup and drop-off points at airports.
