Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched 'Bharat Taxi', described as India's first driver-owned ride-hailing platform, in Gujarat. The service has been introduced across 14 major cities in the state, with the government aiming to expand operations across Gujarat within a month.Addressing a public gathering at the launch event, Shah said the initiative marked a significant development for India's mobility sector as demand for taxi services has grown alongside the country's economic development."Today is a very big day in the field of mobility in India. Because as India has developed, the need for taxis has become common. The need for taxis has reached every home. And in a way, the expansion of taxis has also happened across a very large area," Shah said.Also Read: Detect, disrupt, destroy: Amit Shah vows to dismantle drug trafficking ecosystemExplaining the rationale behind the initiative, Shah said the cooperative model emerged after concerns were raised by both commuters and drivers over issues in private-sector taxi services. Rather than relying solely on legislation, the government decided to explore a cooperative framework."Various problems were emerging in the taxi services of the private sector. The public and drivers met me with the hope of resolving their issues. Initially, the idea came that the government should enact a new law, but merely a law does not provide a hundred percent solution to any problem," Shah said.Also Read:Amit Shah directs Nafed, NCCF to bypass middlemen, buy pulses and oilseeds directly from farmers"After that, the thought arose that if a taxi service were started on the cooperative model, the exploitation-based business would automatically begin to end. Through cooperation, we have achieved remarkable success in many sectors, so this very model can become a meaningful and effective solution in the taxi sector as well," he added.