RTO nets 30% more revenue from sale of fancy number plates than last fiscal

The revenue collection from the sale of fancy registration numbers recorded a 39 per cent growth as the RTO netted Rs 44.90 crore in 2023-24 compared to the previous year when it collected Rs 35.92 crore. However, the auction of some attractive registration numbers in 2023-24 witnessed better growth than the previous fiscal.

The revenue collected from the auction of registration numbers was Rs 4.92 crore compared to Rs 2.26 crore in 2022-23.

Last year, the highest amount paid was Rs 12 lakh for the number ‘1’ selected from a series other than the LMV (light motor vehicle) series. The charge for choosing a number from the LMV series was Rs 4 lakh. However, since the desired number from the LMV series was already claimed, the individual had to pay triple the fee, amounting to Rs 12 lakh, to get that number from the other series.

Among the top choices for Pune residents in the fiscal 2023-24 were numbers like 1, 9, 909, 999, 9990, 9999, 7, 777, 7007, 7777, 12, 1212, 4141, 2121, 7272, 555, 5555, 4444, 96, 100, 500, 505, 1001, 1111, 3003, 5050, and 5151.

Deputy Regional Transport Officer Sanjeev Bhor said in January, that there was a 27 per cent increase in the number of vehicle owners acquiring fancy numbers this fiscal compared to the previous financial year.

“The demand for eye-catching numbers among motorists is on the rise, especially for numbers like 1, 9, and 1212.

We’ve noticed a substantial year-on-year increase in government revenue from the sale of these registration numbers,” said Bhor.