India, Oct. 25 -- The Centre will reportedly begin piloting the new state-backed ride-hailing service, called "Bharat Taxi", in New Delhi later next month.

Officials told NDTV that the service will begin operations in the national capital with 650 vehicles. As per the report, the platform will be rolled out to other major cities by December this year.

More than 5,000 drivers, both men and women, are reportedly expected to participate in the initial nationwide testing phase. The platform will then be gradually expanded to 20 other cities, including Pune, Bhopal, Lucknow, and Jaipur, over the course of 2026.

The government has reportedly internally set a target of establishing Bharat Taxi's operations in several metro regions by March 20...