Kolkata, Nov 10 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on Monday claimed that Yatri Sathi, the state government’s own ride-hailing application overseen by the state Information Technology & Electronics (IT&E) department, has received an award conferred by the Union government.

“Proud moment for West Bengal! Yatri Sathi, by the IT&E Department, Government of West Bengal, has received the Award of Excellence and the running trophy for Best Urban Transport Project by MoHUA, Government of India,” the Chief Minister said in a social media post.

The Chief Minister also claimed that the model of Yatri Sathi has been replicated by several other states. According to her, this people-first mobility model has completed over 1.42 crore rides, benefiting over 1.3 lakh drivers and 45 lakh passengers.

“My heartiest congratulations to all those associated with this outstanding work. Once again, what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow,” the Chief Minister said.

Yatri Sathi was created by the state IT&E Department initially to put the old and traditional metered yellow-taxis in Kolkata under one payment system to allow passengers to pay no surge charge or commission and prevent middlemen from being involved.

The West Bengal government provided drivers with Yatri Sathi decals for their cabs. By October 2023, more than 60 per cent of the yellow, blue, and white taxis of the city had switched to the platform.

In May 2025, “Where Is My Bus,” a real-time feature that provides service information about public buses, was added to the app. The scheme also offers users the ability to book bike taxis, bus tickets, and ambulances. It also offers parcel delivery services and the ability to book tickets for popular Kolkata tourist attractions.

The app offers SOS buttons for passengers and drivers in case of emergency.

–IANS

src/dan