1 day Ago By Joy Sengupta
1 2 3 Pune: The Regional Transport Office (RTO) here has registered a significant drop of around 46% in people opting for the BH (Bharat) series registration numbers in the last financial year 2024-25, compared to FY 2023-24. Additionally, people opting for choice or special registration numbers also dropped by around 2% in the last fiscal, revealed figures provided by RTO. Officials said that while the exact reason for the decline in BH series registrations, which became a status symbol for many, is not known, the change in regulations that came last year could be one of the factors.
"These numbers can only be given to central, state and private sector employees whose offices have more than five branches in the entire country. Last year, some regulations were tweaked, which included that only one vehicle per owner can be given this special number. This means that if an applicant eligible for the BH series has two to three or more vehicles, only one of them can have the BH series number.
Also, mere employment in a company with multiple branches won't count, and the applicant must prove that they are liable to get transferred to different states. These can be some reasons why registrations have dropped," an RTO official told TOI on condition of anonymity. The number starts with the year of first registration followed by the letters BH, a randomly computer-chosen four-digit number, and two alphabets between A and Z.
A person with the BH series has to pay road tax for two years and subsequently in multiples of two instead of the regular 15 years. Another RTO official pointed out, "Last year, we saw many people coming in who wanted these BH numbers. There were many rejections, too, as they didn't fit the criteria.
With information coming that many were trying to get these numbers even when they were not eligible, we had to tighten the process of document checks." In connection with the dip in customized plate applicants, RTO officials said that the decline is negligible. "The revenue from these numbers increased, in fact, which shows that people are still buying costly special numbers.
Last year, the charges for these numbers also increased. Custom numbers have always been in high demand, and we expect the same to continue," the RTO official said. EFFECT OF STRICTER RULES BH series registration Fiscal — Two-wheelers — Cars 2024-25 — 1,320 — 2,635 2023-24 — 2,418 — 4,846 Custom number plate registration Fiscal — No.
of applicants — Revenue (approx., in Rs crore) 2024-25 — 51,567 — 59 2023-24 — 52,473 — 44.
