[title]
Booking cabs in the Delhi rain or during the airport rush hour is, probably, one of the more painful experiences of living in a metropolitan city. Fares jump, drivers cancel, and suddenly a ₹500 fare's flirting with ₹800. But all that's set for a possible change with the entry of Bharat Taxi, a new ride-hailing app that's just rolled into Delhi with a big promise: fixed fares, no surge in pricing, and, very importantly, happier drivers.
Launched under a cooperative model by the union government, the app is touted as India's first driver-owned ride-hailing platform. In short, that means no commission cuts from drivers, unlike other major players Uber and Ola, which reportedly cut about 30-40% from each ride’s fee.
On this app, each driver registered will own a small stake in the cooperative, and instead of losing a chunk of their fee from every ride, they'd pay a flat daily fee to use the app. The idea is that this would convert to fairer earnings for drivers, and cheaper rides for passengers.
Another plus: where private apps' pricing might fluctuate wildly depending on traffic or weather, Bharat Taxi will promise a fixed fare with no last-minute hikes. Officials say fares may even be 30% cheaper than what you'd typically pay on Ola or Uber, since there's no commission baked into the price.
How does it work?
The app, officially launched on Feb 5 in the capital, is available on both Android and iOS. Delhi-NCR's part of the pilot phase along with select cities in Gujarat, which means you can already book rides here. Currently, though, the service is only focused on high-traffic zones like airports, metro stations, railway stations, and busy marketplaces. The long-term plan is to expand coverage to all over India in the next couple of years.
The app will also be specifically piloted across 10 metro stations in Delhi-NCR: New Delhi, Kashmere Gate, Millennium City Centre Gurugram, Botanical Garden, Lajpat Nagar, Vaishali, Hauz Khas, Sikandarpur, Rajiv Chowk, and Noida Sector 62.
According to a government press release, about 4 lakh drivers are already registered on the app, and are completing an average of 10,000+ trips daily across Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. Safety features include in-app support, verified driver records, and dedicated complaint booths set up with the Delhi Police – similar to Ola and Uber.
For Delhiites used to juggling two apps just to get one cab, this might just be another icon worth adding to the home screen – no one's saying no to cheaper airport rides, after all.