MANGALURU: The
regional transport office (
RTO) in
Mangaluru, which registered only 26
four-wheelers in April, now gets nearly 40 applications a day, while the number of
two-wheeler registrations has increased from a mere 49 in April to an average 100-120 applications a day.
RM Vernekar, Mangaluru regional transport officer, said one of the reasons for the spurt in sales of vehicles is people wanting to avoid public transport for fear of contracting
Covid-19. “People, especially those on the outskirts, prefer commuting in their personal vehicles, especially by two-wheeler,” Vernekar said. “Also, people in rural areas face difficulties due to a reduction in bus services. Bus owners have not reintroduced services on many routes for fear of incurring losses. As a result, buses are infrequent.”
The Mangaluru RTO registered 572 light motor vehicles (
LMV) and 1,732 two-wheelers in March 2020, data from the Union ministry of road transport & highways (MoRTH) shows. Following the imposition of the nationwide lockdown, registrations saw a steep decline in April with only 26 LMVs and 49 two-wheelers. However, registrations picked up in September onwards and the upward trend has continued since.