look news india
Gandhinagar/Business Desk: Giving a new height to the country’s cooperative movement, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday formally launched the country’s first cooperative model-based unique taxi service ‘Bharat Taxi’ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Launching this revolutionary initiative, he clearly said that the direct objective of this step of the government is to save both drivers and customers from exploitation at the hands of private cab companies. This model will not only provide jobs to the drivers, but will also give them respect in the society and real ownership rights of their work.
‘Saarthi’ is the owner, not the driver, 7 lakh partners become shareholders
Addressing the program, Union Minister Amit Shah said that the main vision behind launching ‘Bharat Taxi’ is that there should be no loss to either the ‘Sarathi’ (driver) providing the service and the customer taking the service. Taking aim at private companies, he said:
“Now our brothers do not need to be at the mercy of any private app by registering on them. This cooperative structure hands over the ownership of the company directly to the drivers. I am proud that around 7 lakh partners associated with ‘Bharat Taxi’ are its real owners and shareholders. This ownership right is not just an economic stake, but it is a full guarantee of respect, safety and prosperity for our drivers.”
Service started in all major cities of Gujarat, options from auto to four-wheeler
Amit Shah said that this service has been tested very successfully in many parts of the country and now its commercial and formal launch has been done in Gujarat. From today itself, ‘Bharat Taxi’ vehicles will start running on the roads in all the major cities of Gujarat state. Under this new cooperative taxi service, the general public will get all the major options like two-wheeler taxi (bike ride), auto-rickshaw and four-wheeler cab (SUV/Sedan) on a single platform.
Speaking on the arbitrariness of the existing app-based big taxi companies, the Cooperation Minister alleged that they charge huge commission from drivers in the name of the companies, unnecessarily delay the payment of their hard-earned money and suddenly block the accounts of drivers without any concrete reason. In such a situation, ‘Bharat Taxi’ will emerge as a transparent and strong national option for both passengers and drivers.
Revolution in transport sector on the lines of Amul, MoUs signed from airport to metro
Recalling the glorious history of Gujarat, Amit Shah gave the example of the global success of ‘Amul Cooperative’ in the dairy sector. He said that just as Amul changed the fate of cattle herders, Bharat Taxi is going to change the face of the country’s transport sector.
To launch this service with full force without any interruption, the government has signed agreements (MoUs) with many big organizations on the very first day. Under this, strategic partnerships have been formed with major airports and railway authorities including Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC), Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Gujarat State Cooperative Bank, State Traffic Police, so that passengers can get direct and safe connectivity from bus stands, railway stations and airports.
Drivers’ savings will increase and passengers will get cheapest travel.
This cooperative initiative will significantly increase the net income of drivers as they will not have to pay huge commission to any private company. Along with this, the government will also provide them facilities like better social security and insurance. On the other hand, passengers will also get a completely transparent, safe and reliable transport service without any hidden charges or peak-hour search pricing. ‘Bharat Taxi’ is being seen as a game-changing experiment in the country’s cooperative-based transport system.