Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched India’s first government-backed cooperative sector driven taxi platform called Bharat Taxi in New Delhi and Gujarat. The innovative app, designed as a driver-owned “zero-commission” alternative, aims to provide cheaper rides, allowing drivers full fare retention. The interesting part is that this service is not exclusive to Delhi but is a nationwide concept that is expected to cover the entire country within the next three years.
The government plans to extend this concept well beyond Delhi and Gujarat, and even cover diverse terrains—from Kashmir to Kanyakumari—ensuring that even the remotest corners of India benefit from this cooperative model. This news makes interesting reading for Goa, a State where private taxi operators have been defiant over allowing aggregator-based taxi services, forcing even the government to rethink its policy.
Goa has been at a crossroads over taxi services, with traditional taxis taking cudgels against the operation of Goa Miles, with stray incidents of violence being reported across the coastal belt. Tourists and passengers have been caught in the crossfire, with some being forced to alight and walk on their own. While the common grouse was that the local taxis were overcharging, the traditional operators complained that aggregator services undercut fares, making the business unsustainable. Furthermore, they maintained that app-based taxis cut fares by around 30 per cent, against the business ethics.
The resistance to regulation also stemmed from the argument of protecting local identity. While most of the traditional businesses have been wiped out, the local taxi operators were holding on to the straw that this too will be extinct, succumbing to outsiders, although this may not be an entirely valid point of debate, since a number of taxis are now run by non-Goans. Tourists often complain that transport in Goa comes at a heavy price, besides being unpredictable. While most of the concerns are addressed with the introduction of Bharat Taxi, it remains to be seen if local taxis are open to the idea of fare capping. And this is where the debate would revolve in the State.
Could Bharat Taxi be a game-changer in Goa? Does it tick the right boxes? Yes, it does. Besides the zero-commission operation, where the owners retain almost 100 per cent of the fare, there are social security benefits, health insurance, and a Rs 5 lakh accident cover. A major takeaway is allowing the operator to retain full fares. Additionally, this service, which promises to democratise the sector with its cooperative ethos, could be a boon for traditional taxis, as it directly competes with private players like Ola and Uber.
The question is whether traditional taxi operators in Goa would embrace Bharat Taxi, or continue to oppose aggregator-based services over the famous “identity crisis”. In a fast-evolving world where seamless transportation is the key for a tourist destination, Goa needs to urgently get out of the informal ecosystem and streamline services. Having said that, the traditional taxis and their role as one of the torch-bearers of tourism all these years cannot be dispelled. The government must take enough safeguards so that new systems do not disengage them and snatch away livelihoods.
The slogan “Sahkar se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation) encapsulates the vision behind Bharat Taxi. It is a hallmark of operator empowerment, and by all means should be welcomed. The integrity of traditional taxi operators will be tested here.
