Autorickshaws’ registration hits 4-year low in PMC, PCMC areas

PUNE: Regional transport offices in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad recorded the lowest autorickshaw registrations in the last four years in 2021. Officials claimed that the number of people opting for autorickshaw permits has gone down since 2020, and was the lowest since 2017 in 2021, with the state government withdrawing the open permit system for acquiring three-wheelers in 2017.
“Far too less permits are being issued, which is directly related to registrations. There are cases where people got their permits but couldn’t buy an autorickshaw. Until 2019, revenue generated from autorickshaw registrations was among the highest in Pune and came only second to two-wheelers,” an official with the regional transport office (RTO) said.

There was around 11% decrease in autorickshaw registrations in 2021 compared to 2020. The drop compared to 2019 was around 69% in Pune.
In Pimpri Chinchwad, too, there was a decrease of around 12% in registrations in 2021 compared to 2020. The drop, when compared to 2019, was around 61%. The total number of autorickshaws operating in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad is more than 1 lakh now. “It’s been a week I have been getting not more than four to five short-trip passengers.
I have not been able to find passengers willing to take long trips. I pay Rs3,000 EMI for the vehicle every month and with Covid-19 cases surging again, I doubt if I would be able to pay the EMI this month,” said autorickshaw driver Ibrahim Inamdar. In 2017, the state government had opened up permits for autorickshaws, resulting in several people buying the three-wheeler.
“Once a person gets the permit, he has to go to an autorickshaw manufacturer with the permit and within 90 days, the person has to buy an autorickshaw else the permit goes null and void,” said Nitin Pawar, the convenor of Rickshaw Panchayat, the largest autorickshaw union in Pune.