India’s cooperative movement is preparing to steer into the digital transport economy with the launch of Bharat, a cooperative-owned taxi service aiming to rival market leaders Ola and Uber by the year-end.
Spearheaded by the Multi-State Sahakari Taxi Cooperative Ltd, a union of eight key cooperative institutions. the venture has already onboarded 200 drivers across Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The cooperative was officially registered on 6 June.
Backed by an authorised capital of ₹300 crore, the initiative draws support from leading cooperatives including the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), and Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). It also counts Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd, NABARD, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), and National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL) among its founding members.
“This is a completely cooperative-driven initiative with no government stake,” NCDC Deputy Managing Director Rohit Gupta informed. “The key objective is to ensure better returns to drivers and provide quality, safe and affordable services to passengers.”
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The announcement builds on Cooperation Minister Amit Shah’s earlier declaration that a cooperative taxi platform would be operational by the end of 2025, as part of a larger push to revitalise India’s cooperative sector through policy reforms and entrepreneurial ventures.
A tender has already been floated to finalise a technology partner for the ride-hailing app, which is expected to be operational by December. “We will finalise the technology partner in a few days,” Gupta confirmed.
The app will function as a pan-India digital platform, with cooperative pricing at its core. IIM-Bangalore and a tech consultant have been roped in to shape the marketing and branding strategy. Membership drives are currently under way to further expand the operational footprint.
The cooperative model is designed to deliver higher margins to drivers by cutting down commissions and platform fees that dominate existing ride-hailing services. Industry watchers say it may pose a serious alternative in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, where cooperative networks are traditionally strong.
The founding cooperatives are also engaging with regional cooperative bodies to scale the fleet and broaden outreach ahead of the launch.
The venture marks a rare and ambitious foray by the cooperative sector into the tech-dominated mobility space, a market projected to reach a value of over USD 25 billion in India by 2030. The entry of Bharat reflects an evolving strategy to harness cooperative strengths for digital disruption.
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