By ME Bureau

Gold seems to have taken a back seat and buying cars and two-wheelers are on people’s mind as Thousands of citizens took their new cars and two-wheelers home on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on Tuesday.

 "I had decided to switch to a two-wheeler just after the BEST announced its fare hike on April 1. But I waited for this auspicious day to take delivery of my scooty," said Rohit Patil, a resident of Ghatkopar. He is among the hundreds of commuters who are opting to travel to stations on two-wheelers than take a bus. "With petrol prices falling, it is better to use a two-wheeler and save money," said another office-goer. An RTO source said that most of the cars that were registered on Tuesday were the recently launched or upgraded models of sedans and hatchbacks. "People are switching over to new brands and there is a significant number who are opting for bigger cars and SUVs," said an official from Andheri RTO.

 RTO officers worked extra hours on Tuesday to ensure speedier last-minute deliveries. Many car buyers had also applied for special registration numbers, which cost a minimum Rs 10,000 for a two-wheeler and Rs 50,000 for a four-wheeler. "On special days like Gudi Padwa, Akshay Tritiya and Dussehra, people not just buy new cars but also want to have a special number plate. They are also willing to go for auction to get particular number," said an official. The most expensive number for a four wheeler is "1", with a base price of Rs 4 lakh. If the number is not available in the current series, the RTO allots it from a future series for thrice the price. And, if there are two applicants for the number, there could be an auction, which can fetch the RTO anywhere between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 25 lakh.