Gujarat Police has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the operator of Bharat Taxi, to digitally integrate safety features and strengthen law enforcement coordination across the state. The agreement establishes a direct SOS link between the Bharat Taxi mobile application and the Gujarat Police control room, alongside mandatory police verification of all drivers. This is the first large-scale integration of a cooperative ride-hailing platform with a state police department in India.
What Is Bharat Taxi?
Bharat Taxi is India’s first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, officially launched on 5 February 2026 by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in Delhi NCR. The platform is operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited (STCL), a multi-state cooperative society registered on 6 June 2025 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. It is backed by eight major national cooperative institutions: NCDC, Amul (GCMMF), IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NAFED, NDDB, NCEL, and NABARD.
The platform is built on the principle of ‘Saarthi Hi Maalik’ (the driver is the owner). Unlike private aggregators such as Uber and Ola, Bharat Taxi operates on a zero-commission model. Drivers, referred to as Sarathis, pay a small daily subscription fee and retain the full fare from each ride. They also become co-owners of the cooperative by purchasing shares, entitling them to dividends and social security benefits including insurance, loans, and pension schemes.
As of late June 2026, Bharat Taxi had registered over 7 lakh Sarathis and more than 37 lakh customers across India, with over 3,500 rides completed daily. The service was formally launched across 14 major cities in Gujarat on 27 June 2026, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, and Somnath.
Key Features of the MoU
The agreement between Gujarat Police and Bharat Taxi covers multiple areas of cooperation aimed at making urban transport safer and more reliable. These measures target both emergency response and preventive safety.
SOS Integration with Police Control Room
The most notable feature of the MoU is the integration of an SOS emergency response system directly into the Bharat Taxi mobile application. When a passenger triggers the SOS button, the alert reaches the Gujarat Police control room in real time, enabling immediate dispatch of assistance. This feature is designed specifically to enhance the safety of women and senior citizens, who are often the most vulnerable during travel.
The system mirrors a similar arrangement already established between Bharat Taxi and Delhi Traffic Police, where a Joint Command and Control Centre provides real time ride monitoring and emergency response. In Gujarat, the SOS integration will cover all rides across the 14 cities where Bharat Taxi operates.
Mandatory KYC for All Drivers
Under the MoU, every driver registered with Bharat Taxi in Gujarat must undergo official police verification (KYC) conducted by Gujarat Police. This measure is intended to ensure that only verified individuals operate on the platform, reducing the risk of impersonation or criminal activity.
To oversee this process, Gujarat Police will appoint a dedicated nodal officer responsible for coordinating driver verification, traffic branding initiatives, and training programmes. This structured approach is meant to ensure consistent implementation across districts.
Training and Public Awareness Campaigns
The partnership includes special training programmes for Bharat Taxi drivers on traffic regulations, road safety, and responsible driving practices. Drivers will be educated on proper lane discipline, speed management, and passenger handling protocols.
In addition, Gujarat Police and Bharat Taxi will run joint public awareness campaigns to promote safe travel and encourage citizens to use verified, reliable transport services. These campaigns are expected to leverage both digital platforms and on ground outreach.
Why This Partnership Matters
The MoU addresses several interconnected challenges in India’s rapidly growing urban transport sector, from passenger security to regulatory oversight of ride-hailing services.
Strengthening Passenger Safety
Women’s safety in public transport has been a persistent concern across Indian cities. The SOS integration with the Gujarat Police control room provides a direct, real time emergency channel that does not depend on third party response times. For senior citizens and other vulnerable passengers, the ability to alert police instantly from within the app adds a critical layer of protection.
The mandatory police KYC for drivers also addresses a long standing trust deficit in app based transport. While private aggregators conduct their own background checks, government verified KYC adds an official layer of accountability that improves passenger confidence.
Advancing the Cooperative Mobility Model
This partnership is also significant for what it represents about the cooperative model’s evolution. Bharat Taxi was conceived as a ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (prosperity through cooperation) initiative under the Ministry of Cooperation, which was created in July 2021 as a separate ministry to strengthen India’s cooperative sector.
By partnering directly with Gujarat Police, Bharat Taxi demonstrates that cooperative enterprises can offer safety standards comparable to, or better than, private aggregators. This collaborative framework could serve as a template for other states where the platform plans to expand, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
Additionally, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation signed a separate MoU with Bharat Taxi on the same day to integrate taxi services into the city’s Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform, improving first and last mile connectivity for public transport users and reducing reliance on private vehicles.
The Bigger Picture: India’s Cooperative Vision
Bharat Taxi is part of a wider push by the government to revitalise the cooperative movement in India. The Ministry of Cooperation, established in 2021 with Amit Shah as its first minister, has driven more than 60 reforms in the sector. These include the National Cooperative Policy 2025, which replaced the 2002 policy and lays out a 20 year roadmap for cooperatives in India.
The Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 provides the legal framework for entities like Bharat Taxi to operate across state boundaries. The Act facilitates the voluntary formation of cooperative societies with objects not confined to one state, promoting democratic functioning based on self help and mutual aid.
India has over 8 lakh cooperative societies with approximately 30 crore members nationwide. The sector spans agriculture, dairy, credit, housing, and increasingly, technology driven services like ride hailing. Bharat Taxi represents the first major foray of the cooperative model into the digital mobility space, directly competing with venture capital backed private aggregators.
The government has also introduced AI powered features into the Bharat Taxi platform, including WhatsApp based ride booking and voice enabled customer service, to make the service accessible to users with limited digital literacy. The platform plans to expand to more than 500 cities and towns across India, with dedicated support centres in every state.
Key Takeaways
- Gujarat Police signed an MoU with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited (Bharat Taxi) in June 2026 to enhance public safety, traffic management, and urban mobility.
- An SOS emergency response system in the Bharat Taxi app will be linked directly to the Gujarat Police control room, prioritising safety of women and senior citizens.
- All Bharat Taxi drivers in Gujarat must undergo official police verification (KYC) by Gujarat Police, with a dedicated nodal officer overseeing the process.
- Bharat Taxi is India’s first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, and launched on 5 February 2026.
- The platform operates on a zero-commission model under the ‘Saarthi Hi Maalik’ principle, with drivers as co-owners entitled to social security benefits.
- The Ministry of Cooperation was established in July 2021 to strengthen India’s cooperative sector, with Amit Shah as its first minister.
