Ahmedabad/Surat: The state’s traditional leader in vehicle registrations, Ahmedabad, is now trailing Surat.By Sept 15, Surat had registered 1.8 lakh vehicles, nearly 80% of the 2.2 lakh it registered in all of 2025. Ahmedabad (in the GJ01-Subhash Bridge series) recorded 1.4 lakh in the same period, or 76% of its 1.8 lakh in 2025.Surat also grew faster: more than 6% in 2024 and 9% in 2025, against Ahmedabad’s 3% and 5.6%.Surat regional transport officer H M Patel said: “With rapid growth and increasing population in Surat, it is obvious that people would start living in new developing areas.” People buy vehicles to reach their workplaces until transport facilities are developed there, he said.Another factor, Patel said, is that 4,516 vehicle insurance claims amounting to Rs 80 crore were passed over the past two months following the floods. “Many people bought new vehicles. People will continue to buy new vehicles as the insurance process is still under way,” he said.Transportation experts said dependence on private vehicles is particularly high in Surat because of inadequate public transport. SVNIT professor Gaurang Joshi from the transportation system department said, “As compared to 12% of Ahmedabad’s people using public transport, only 3% use it in Surat.” He also pointed to Surat’s high incomes. “In some Surat homes, every member of a family has a vehicle,” he said.Ahmedabad’s registrations are spread across three RTO divisions: Vastral, Subhash Bridge, and Bavla. Officials said much of the new development is on the city’s outskirts, particularly towards Sanand, Godhavi, and Manipur, which fall under Bavla RTO.Eastern Ahmedabad is also seeing substantial development, pushing up registrations at Vastral RTO.Subhash Bridge RTO, officials said, has been recording growth of 2-4%, partly because owners are scrapping old vehicles and buying new ones.Bavla has also emerged as an important registration centre for high-end vehicles, particularly those costing Rs 15-20 lakh and above.Sources attribute this partly to buyers seeking to avoid certain municipal taxes applicable in Ahmedabad.
