- By Aditya Pratap Singh
- Thu, 27 Mar 2025 02:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sahkar Taxi app announced: In a bid to challenge the monopoly of rental ride providers giants Ola and Uber, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced the launch of Sahkar Taxi — a service that aims to give drivers complete control over their earnings, without any commission cut.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, the home and co-operative minister said the move would enable cooperative societies to register taxis, two-wheelers, rickshaws, and other four-wheelers without bringing any middleman in between. Amit Shah informed that the system will be similar to an app-based service, but is built around a cooperative structure that puts drivers at the centre.
Amit Shah said that Sahkar Taxi was not just a slogan, the Ministry of Cooperation worked tirelessly for three and a half years to bring it into service, and a few months, a large cooperative taxi service will be launched, which will ensure a direct flow of benefits to drivers.
Shah said Sahakar Taxi is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's broader vision of 'Sahakar se Samriddhi' (prosperity through cooperation), and positions the initiative as part of a larger effort to reform the gig economy model.
The announcement comes as Ola and Uber are under intense scrutiny over their pricing policies. The Central Consumer Protection Authority recently issued notices to both companies after reports emerged of differences in fares based on the type of phone used by users - Android versus iPhone.
However, both the companies denied the allegations, saying, they have a uniform pricing structure for all their customers and do not differentiate based on the operating system of a user's cellphone.
Earlier, a post that went viral on X in December 2024 showed two phones quoting different fares for the same Uber ride.
Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi later weighed in on the issue, calling it an “unfair trade practice.” He said the government would expand the investigation into pricing practices in sectors such as food delivery and online ticketing.