The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has noted a surge in demand for fancy number plates, leading to a significant increase in revenue generation. Motorists, particularly vehicle owners, have shown a preference for number plates with specific digits, contributing to a 30 percent rise in revenue in the fiscal year 2023-24. This resulted in an overall increase of Rs 11.63 crore compared to the previous year.

Over the past few years, the auctioning of fancy numbers has become an additional revenue stream for the RTO. In the fiscal year 2022-2023, the total revenue generated from this source was nearly Rs 50 crore, up from Rs 38.19 crore the year before. This revenue was solely derived from selling fancy registration numbers, auctioning those plates in high demand, as reported by the media.

Revenue from the sale of fancy registration numbers saw a 39 percent growth, with the RTO collecting Rs 44.90 crore in 2023-24 compared to Rs 35.92 crore in the previous year. The fiscal year 2023-24 witnessed better growth in auctions compared to the previous fiscal.

In a notable instance, an individual paid three times the standard price to acquire the number '1' from a series other than the LMV (light motor vehicle) series. The person paid Rs 12 lakh for the number, as the '1' from the LMV series was already taken. Typically, the charge for selecting a number from the LMV series is Rs 4 lakh.

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

Deputy Regional Transport Officer Sanjeev Bhor reported a 27 percent increase in the number of vehicle owners acquiring fancy numbers this fiscal year compared to the last. He noted a rising demand among motorists for eye-catching numbers like '1', '9', and '1212', contributing to a substantial year-on-year increase in government revenue from the sale of these registration numbers.