CHENNAI: Luxury car brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, MINI Cooper and Jeep and other passenger vehicles used by five-star hotels and restaurants in tourist places like Ooty and Kodaikanal, are now allowed to be registered as transport vehicles (yellow board) without requiring approval from the transport commissioner.
Transport Commissioner A Shanmuga Sundaram issued a directive on Friday, relaxing the procedures for registration and permits for luxury cars and other passenger vehicles. However, the relaxation will not be applicable to two-wheelers, which can only be registered as non-transport vehicles with a white board.
“The RTOs have been receiving numerous requests to use cars and jeeps for commercial purposes in tourist areas. Now, they no longer require approval from the transport commissioner to register luxury cars as transport vehicles with a yellow board. These vehicles can also be used on OLA and UBER platforms,” said an official.
However, the owner of the vehicle has to obtain a permit from the respective RTOs for using the passenger vehicle for commercial purposes, added the official. Currently, star hotels, resorts, and restaurants in metro cities and tourist locations use luxury cars for transporting customers to and from airports, railway stations, and other destinations. Additionally, travel agencies also offer cab services to visitors from foreign nations and other states who mostly prefer luxury cars for local transportation in hill stations.