UP ‘Sarathi Didi’ To Offer Women-Driven Rides, 24x7 Safety Monitoring And SOS Assistance Under Bharat Taxi Model

Lucknow, September 18: Preparations are underway to make the travel of sisters and daughters safer and more convenient through ‘Sarathi Didi’. On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a mechanism is being developed for women passengers that will provide a special service of women drivers along with 24x7 monitoring of safety during travel. Under this, there will be a facility to seek assistance through an SOS button in emergency situations, and immediate coordination with the police can be established whenever required. This means that travel will not remain limited to merely boarding a vehicle and reaching the destination, but the entire journey will proceed with robust security.

The Yogi government is preparing to extend this service from cities to villages through the Bharat Taxi model. For this, there is a plan to expand ride-hailing and delivery services at the rural level by integrating Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).

Women Drivers To Be Trained

An important aspect of ‘Sarathi Didi’ is connecting women drivers with transport services. Under this initiative, women will be provided special training to operate e-rickshaws, two-wheelers, and cabs. On one hand, women passengers will have the option of women drivers, while on the other hand, a pathway will open to develop driving as a new area of employment for women.

24x7 Safety Monitoring

For the safety of women passengers, emergency SOS buttons, a 24x7 monitoring control room, and police assistance coordination will be made part of the system. Provisions will be made to activate the assistance mechanism in the event of any emergency during travel. Under Bharat Taxi’s existing women-centric ‘Sarathi Didi’ scheme, safety features such as SOS, live location tracking and 24x7 assistance will be available. This arrangement will directly benefit families, especially those whose daughters regularly travel alone for education, employment or other purposes. With the availability of women drivers and an assistance mechanism in emergency situations, the system is being designed to reduce concerns related to safety during travel.

‘Sarathi Didi’ is not being viewed solely as a facility for women passengers. Its other aspect is to prepare women as drivers. Through training in operating e-rickshaws, two-wheelers, and cabs, women are being connected on a large scale with economic activity in the transport sector. In this model, women will not only be passengers but will also be able to become service-providing drivers. Thus, the option of safe travel on one hand and opportunities for income generation for women on the other are being brought together.

Bharat Taxi Model In Villages

The Yogi government is preparing to extend the Bharat Taxi model to villages rather than limiting it to cities. For this purpose, ride-hailing and delivery services will be expanded at the rural level by integrating Primary Agricultural Credit Societies. This will increase the availability of transport services at the local level in rural areas. The cooperative network will be utilised to provide vehicle services through digital platforms for travel from villages to markets, hospitals, bus stations, railway stations or nearby cities.

Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have so far been used mainly for rural credit and agriculture-related activities. By integrating them with ride-hailing and delivery services, this cooperative network can expand into rural mobility and digital services. This would mean that the cooperative structure existing in villages will not remain limited to agricultural needs alone but will also serve as a foundation for services such as local transportation and delivery.

Safety And Employment Focus

Through ‘Sarathi Didi’, both women passengers and women drivers have been placed at the centre of the initiative. The facility of women drivers for women passengers, along with SOS and monitoring mechanisms, strengthens safety, while training will create pathways for employment and self-reliance for women. In this way, the scope of the proposed model is not limited merely to expanding cab services. It is an effort to integrate women's safety, women's employment, digital transportation, and rural connectivity.

With the expansion of the Bharat Taxi model from cities to villages, preparations are underway to develop this network as a new option for transportation from urban centres to rural areas.