Festive spirit drives Puneites to buy 9.5K vehicles from September 21-30

During Dussehra, Pune saw 9,531 vehicle registrations, including 814 electric vehicles, highlighting a shift towards greener transport solutions.

Pune: Continuing the tradition of buying vehicles during the auspicious Dussehra festival, Punekars flocked to showrooms and the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in large numbers this year. Between September 21 and 30, a total of 9,531 vehicles were purchased and registered with the Pune RTO.

Pune, India - Dec. 7, 2018: Customers checking two wheelers at a bike showroom on JM road in Pune, India, on Friday, December 7, 2018. (Photo by Pratham Gokhale/Hindustan Times) (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

Among these, two-wheelers dominated the sales with 5,438 registrations, followed by 2,554 cars, reflecting the city’s strong preference for personal transport. Significantly, electric vehicles also witnessed encouraging sales, with 814 EVs purchased this year, indicating the growing shift towards greener mobility solutions. Of these, 679 were electric two-wheelers, 116 electric cars, 7 goods vehicles, 4 rickshaws, and 8 taxis, showing a diversified adoption of e-vehicles across categories.

Swapnil Bhosale, deputy Regional Transport Officer, Pune, said, “This year, a total of 8,717 fuel-based vehicles and 814 electric vehicles were purchased and registered through our office. Our entire staff worked tirelessly to ensure quick registration so that citizens could take home their vehicles on the festival day itself. We streamlined the process to avoid delays, as we understand the cultural and emotional significance attached to taking delivery on Dussehra.”

Officials at the RTO said they had anticipated the surge and had prepared in advance to handle the workload smoothly. Staff at registration counters worked extended hours to complete formalities without causing inconvenience to citizens.