Bid for fancy two-wheeler number 0001 touches record ₹90,000 in Delhi

The transport department, officials said, has earned ₹1.43 lakh by auctioning just four fancy two-wheelers numbers in 29 days.

Delhi’s transport department has managed to auction a two-wheeler premium registration number for its highest ever sum of nearly ₹1 lakh.

Delhi’s transport department has managed to auction a two-wheeler premium registration number for its highest ever sum of nearly ₹1 lakh. (HT Photo (Representative Image))

The transport department, officials said, has earned ₹1.43 lakh by auctioning just four fancy two-wheelers numbers in 29 days.

Last month, the Delhi government for the first time launched the online auctioning of premium registration numbers, commonly known as ‘fancy numbers’, for two-wheelers. In less than a month since the service was opened, the most sought after number – 0001 — was sold for ₹90,000 to a two-wheeler owner, against its reserve price of ₹50,000.

The number 7000 was sold for ₹20,000 while its minimum price was set at ₹15,000.

Yogi, who goes by his first name, said he bought the fancy number for his brand new Vespa SXL 150 which costs up between ₹1.06 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh. “Shauq hain isliye lete hain (it’s a hobby, that’s why I take it)… We have fancy numbers for all our vehicles in our family,” he said. The 30-year old professional said his family runs a business and own multiple shops in the national Capital.

The third highest bid went to the number 0700, which was sold at ₹17,000 to an owner of a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R bike.

In fact, the demand for such premium numbers is not only for high-end bikes. A man, who did not wish to be named, bid for the number 9000 for his new Honda Activa 5G, a gearless two-wheeler with an engine of a nearly 110 cc. The top variant of this comes for over ₹60,000 while the fancy number was bought for ₹16,000, against the base price of ₹15,000.

Officials, however, said that the model of the two-wheeler, for which the number 0001 was sold, is still unknown as the owner is yet to register his vehicle, for which one gets 30 days from the booking date of the registration number. Transport officials said that apart from making a style statement, many seek specific number for astrological reasons and for superstitious beliefs.

“We have seen a great response for fancy two-wheeler numbers in just a month’s time. The golden number 0001 was sold for nearly double its reserve price. So far, at least four two-wheeler owners have participated in the e-auctions. We have seen a lot of demand for fancy numbers from young professionals and middle aged businessmen, who own high-end bikes,” said state transport minister Kailash Gahlot.

Until the new rules of fancy numbers were notified on June 20 this year, there were no guidelines under which two wheelers could be included in the fancy number plate scheme. VIP numbers from 0001 to 0100 were so far availableonly for four-wheelers. This was despite the fact that two-wheelers are more than double (over 73 lakh) in number in Delhi when compared to cars (around 35 lakh).

Transport officials said that the demand for premium numbers for private cars has always been high in the national capital. “In just 29 days since the new rules were launched, the transport department earned ₹1.27 crore through e-auctions and on-spot bookings which happen at the dealer’s end through a common software. Through e-auctions, we have so far earned ₹25.53 lakh from July 1 to July 29, which includes ₹1.43 lakh from two wheelers,” the official said.