1 week Ago By Joy Sengupta
Pune: The number of international driving permits (IDPs) issued by the city's regional transport office till mid-August this year has already crossed half of the total IDPs issued by it in 2023. With the festive season set to begin from next month, officials expect the number of IDPs issued this year to break all records. "In 2023, the RTO had issued 5,060 IDPs.
This year, a total of 3,318 IDPs have been issued till mid-August. This shows that a lot of people are travelling, and they want to drive on their own while holidaying abroad," a senior RTO official said. Many people travel abroad between October and January on short or long-haul vacations.
"The number of people travelling during the monsoon has also been on a high. And the destinations include foreign shores," Nilesh Bhansali, owner of Devam Tours and Travels, said. Rajeev Kale, president and country head (holidays, MICE, Visa) at Thomas Cook (India) Limited, added, "Short-haul international destinations generating high interest include Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Azerbaijan.
" Rizan Shaikh, a city-based businessman, said that he planned to get an IDP for his visit to Dubai next month. "I do visit the Emirates regularly for business and the idea of having an IDP came from a friend. Transportation in Dubai is not cheap and hence I plan to apply and get one without any delay.
I can then rent a car, which will help me to save a lot of money," the Fatimanagar resident said. Indraneel Gupta, who recently returned from a trip to Abu Dhabi, said that his IDP was still valid for 8 months. "I plan to rent a car and drive during my trip to Thailand in December.
I have saved almost Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 on public transportation. Transportation in cabs in foreign countries is a costly affair. However, you need to study the driving rules of the country and be an expert driver in the first place," the IT professional said.
RTO officials said that they were hopeful of issuing more IDPs. "These are issued for a year and after that one has to apply for a fresh one. Apart from holiday-goers, there are students going abroad to study who apply for IDPs.
The real vacation season will start in the next 2 months and we are hoping for a major spike in numbers," another RTO official said..
