Daijiworld Media Network - Pune

Pune, Mar 18: With the number of vehicles rising rapidly in Pune, the existing two-letter vehicle registration series under ‘MH-12’ is nearing exhaustion, prompting authorities to plan a shift to a three-letter format.

According to officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO), new vehicles will soon be assigned registration numbers with three-letter combinations. The Pune RTO has already initiated the process and sent a proposal to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for approval.

The change is being implemented as per guidelines from the Ministry of Road Transport, which mandates vehicle registrations to follow alphabetical sequencing. In Pune, the current series that began with ‘AA’ has now reached ‘ZG’, with over 5.5 crore registration numbers already issued. With rising vehicle sales, especially during festive and auspicious periods, the series is expected to reach ‘ZZ’ soon, leaving no combinations for further registrations.

As a result, authorities are planning to introduce a three-letter series (for example: MH-12 AAA 0001) for future registrations.

Data from the Pune RTO highlights the surge in vehicle numbers in the city:

Two-wheelers: 29,88,810 (highest share)
Four-wheelers: 9,19,961
Total vehicles: 43,55,380 (as of March-end)

Regional Transport Officer Archana Gaikwad said that a final proposal will soon be submitted to the state transport department, after which the new system will be implemented.

With this move, Pune is set to become one of the major cities in India to adopt a three-letter vehicle registration series.