The craze for fancy vehicle registration numbers continues to grow in Punjab and in the latest online e-auction conducted by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), the registration number PB 08 GA 0001 was sold for ₹8.52 lakh, making it the highest-selling number in the auction while interestingly, the number was purchased for an Activa scooter, not a luxury car.
The current on-road price of an Activa is around ₹1.10 lakh, which means the buyer spent enough on the registration number alone to purchase nearly eight Activa scooters, this information was confirmed by PCS officer Baljinder Dhillon, who said the auction was conducted through the Transport Department's online e-auction system and the highest bidder was allotted the registration number as per the rules and apart from the highest-selling number, several other fancy numbers in the PB 08 GA series also attracted bids worth lakhs of rupees.
The registration number PB 08 GA 0007 was sold for ₹3.11 lakh, while PB 08 GA 0005 fetched ₹2.83 lakh, the numbers PB 08 GA 0002, PB 08 GA 0003, and PB 08 GA 0008 were each sold for ₹2.50 lakh meanwhile, PB 08 GA 0006 and PB 08 GA 0009 were sold for ₹2 lakh each.
The latest auction shows that demand for premium registration numbers remains strong in Punjab and over the past several months, registration numbers in the 000 series have regularly been sold for lakhs of rupees through the state's online auction system, although fancy numbers crossing the ₹8 lakh mark are not new, officials said this auction performed particularly well compared to recent months while in an earlier auction, the registration number PB 08 FZ 0001 had been sold for ₹8.61 lakh and the latest PB 08 GA 0001 number was sold for just ₹8,500 less, indicating that buyers continue to show strong interest in premium registration numbers.
The Punjab Transport Department conducts the e-auction every week through its online portal and according to the auction process, applications for fancy registration numbers are accepted from Saturday to Monday, online bidding takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday and during the auction, bidders can increase the bid amount in steps of ₹500, once the auction ends, the registration number is allotted to the person who places the highest bid. The successful bidder must deposit the full amount within the prescribed time. For registration numbers ranging from 0001 to 0010, the reserve price is ₹5 lakh and to participate in bidding for these numbers, applicants must pay a security deposit of ₹1 lakh along with an application fee of ₹2,000.
For registration numbers between 0011 and 0099, the reserve price is ₹1 lakh, officials say the online auction system ensures a transparent process, with registration numbers being allotted strictly to the highest bidder after completion of the auction formalities.
Speaking about the growing demand for fancy registration numbers, PCS officer Baljinder Dhillon said many buyers initially purchase these premium numbers for smaller vehicles such as an Activa scooter and later, after purchasing a new vehicle, including high-end luxury cars such as a Mercedes, they apply to transfer the same registration number to the new vehicle as per the prescribed rules and this is one of the reasons why expensive fancy numbers are often seen registered first on comparatively low-cost vehicles.