DigiHaat expands cooperative mobility service to 55 Indian cities
New Delhi, May 22
Government-backed e-commerce platform DigiHaat on Friday announced that it has expanded its mobility services to 55 cities across India through partnerships with driver-owned cooperatives Bharat Taxi and Namma Yatri.
The company said the expansion is aimed at promoting a cooperative and citizen-centric model in the ride-hailing sector.
The newly launched 'DigiHaat Rides' service, which was previously operational in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, has now been extended to cities including Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram and Vadodara, along with several tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
The platform said its mobility model differs from conventional ride-hailing services by focusing on driver ownership and lower commissions.
According to the company, drivers retain greater control over their earnings and decision-making on the platform, while customers benefit from transparent pricing and community-based accountability.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Digital India, the company said the initiative aims to improve "Ease of Living" and encourage inclusive digital participation across the country.
Rahul Vij, CEO of Nirmit Bharat, said the company is seeking to create digital infrastructure that prioritises citizens over shareholder interests.
"We are not building another ride-sharing app. We are proving that India can build digital infrastructure that serves citizens first, not shareholders. Every driver on DigiHaat retains their earnings. Every user gets a genuine choice. This is what inclusive digital participation looks like," he said.
DigiHaat said the expanded rides service will also integrate with its existing offerings, including metro ticketing, food delivery, shopping and grocery services, as part of its effort to create a unified digital platform for everyday needs.
The platform describes itself as a government-backed initiative focused on strengthening digital participation for Indian producers, artisans, farmer groups and enterprises, while promoting transparency and inclusive access through public digital infrastructure.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I used DigiHaat Rides in Delhi last week and the fare was surprisingly low. No surge pricing nonsense. Plus the driver was actually happy and told me he gets to keep most of the fare. This is what Digital India should look like - technology helping the common man, not just making the rich richer. 😊
As an expat living in Mumbai, I've tried all the apps. What I like about this model is the transparency - you know exactly what you're paying and where it's going. But I wonder about reliability and availability in smaller cities. Hope they don't struggle with driver supply like some other cooperatives.
This is exactly what we need in tier-3 cities like where I live in Madhya Pradesh. Our local auto drivers were being exploited by aggregators. But I'm cautiously optimistic - will the government actually support this long term? Or will it become another bureaucratic mess? The concept is brilliant but execution matters. 👏
I appreciate the cooperative model but let's be honest - the private apps have billions in VC funding for a reason. They can afford to run at a loss for years. Can DigiHaat sustain this? Also, I hope the app quality is good. The last government app I tried was glitchy and slow. Beta testing is key here.
Really interesting to see India taking this approach. In the US, we're dealing with the opposite - drivers are protesting against Uber and Lyft for better pay. If this works, it could be a model for other countries too. The 'driver-owned' concept sounds almost utopian!
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