3-yr insurance not must for commercial vehicles

MUMBAI : It is no longer mandatory for owners of commercial or transport category vehicles with yellow number plates including taxis, buses and trucks, to buy three-year third-party insurance at the time of registration of the vehicles.

The Transport Commissioner’s Office has asked all regional transport offices (RTOS) in the state on November 27, to ignore the provision until the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) comes up with long-term thirdparty insurance package for them. “Till the time regulatory authority declares third-party insurance rates applicable for transport category vehicles, it is necessary to register the new vehicles as per the existing norms,” reads the communication. Following a directive from the Supreme Court (SC) on July 20, the Union government made third-party insurance for three and five years mandatory only for new cars and bikes respectively.

The latest change in rules means taxis, autorickshaws, buses, and other vehicles can be registered with third-party insurance for a year as per the existing policy. Transport officers had stopped registering these vehicles in the absence of three or more years of thirdparty insurance. Cars and bikes, with white number plates, fall under the non-transport category. In an August 29 advisory, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) asked all the states to implement the SC directive for non-transport category vehicles.

A senior transport official said the problem began when MORTH issued another advisory a few days ago, about compliance of its August 29 advisory. In it, MORTH asked for implementation of the three or more yearslong third-party insurance rule in both non-transport and transport category.

THIS MEANS TAXIS, AUTOS, BUSES, ETC CAN BE REGISTERED WITH THIRD-PARTY INSURANCE FOR A YEAR