Ponda is the cultural capital of Goa and is located at the heart of Goa. This municipal council in South Goa has a dedicated Regional Transport Office. The RTO Code of this office is GA-05, and it offers several vehicular services to vehicle owners here. These include issuing driving licences, conducting driving tests and more.

RTO Ponda offers several functions, which are as follows:

• Carry registration certificate renewal

• Furnish Motor Vehicle Tax

• Register and renew your driving licence

• Issue duplicate vehicle registration certificate

• Change or update the name in the DL

• Register new motor vehicles

• Transfer Vehicle Ownership

• Issue NOC for vehicle 

• Issue national, international and tourist permits

• Furnish international driving licence

• Initiate vehicle registration transfer

Below are the types of driving licence issued by Ponda RTO:

• International Driving Permit

• Learner’s Licence

• Permanent Licence

• Commercial Driving Licence

Mapusa RTO issues two types of vehicle registration. These include:

• Permanent Registration

• Temporary Registration 

After receiving the vehicle registration number, display it on your vehicle’s number plate. 

The vehicle registration charges in Ponda RTO are as follows:

• FasTag: ₹500 to ₹600 (pay it during the time of purchasing a car)

• Hypothecation Charges: ₹1500 (if you buy a vehicle on loan)

• Number Plate (For HSRP): ₹230 to ₹400

• MCD Parking Charges for Cars Above ₹4 Lakh (in some States): ₹4000 

• Parking Fee/State Development Fee: ₹2000, MCD Parking Fees for cars below ₹4 Lakh

• Temporary Registration Charges: ₹1500 to ₹2500 (it is valid for a month)

• Road Tax Charges: 

  • Petrol/CNG Cars: 8% for cars under ₹10 Lakh, 10% for vehicles between ₹10 Lakh to ₹20 Lakh, 12% for cars above ₹20 Lakh

  • Diesel Cars: 10% for vehicles under ₹10 Lakh, 12% for vehicles between ₹10 Lakh to ₹20 Lakh, 14% for cars above 20 Lakh

  • EVs: 6% for cars under ₹10 Lakh, 8% for cars between ₹10 Lakh to ₹20 Lakh, 10% for cars more than ₹20 Lakh

However, the registration charges are ₹600.

The details of the Goa road tax are as follows:

Two-wheelers:

• For two-wheelers less than ₹1.5 Lakh: 9%

• For two-wheelers between ₹1.5 Lakh and ₹3 Lakh: 12%

• For two-wheelers more than ₹3 Lakh: 15%

Four-wheelers:

• For four-wheelers less than ₹6 Lakh: 9%

• For four-wheelers between ₹6 Lakh and ₹15 Lakh: 11%

• For four-wheelers between ₹15 Lakh and ₹35 Lakh: 13%

• For four-wheelers more than ₹35 Lakh: 14%

Ponda RTO follows the road tax levied by the Transport Department of Goa.

The Goa traffic fines that are levied when you don’t follow traffic rules are as follows:

• Overspeeding: ₹1500 (two-wheelers), ₹2000 (LMVs) and ₹4000 (HMVs)

• Drunk Driving: ₹15000 with two years of prison (for repeated offence), ₹10000 with six months of prison if it is a first-time offence

• Not Giving Passage to Emergency Vehicles: ₹1000

• Driving Without a Valid Driving Licence: ₹3000 (three or four-wheelers) and ₹2000 (two-wheelers) 

• Not Following Traffic Signals: ₹5000

• Driving a Two-Wheeler/Four-Wheeler Without a Helmet: ₹500

Yes, it is mandatory to have motor insurance as you drive on the roads of Ponda. Otherwise, you will have to pay a hefty fine unnecessarily. So, ensure to have third-party car insurance.

As per recent news, two children were killed on Monday after the car they were travelling in rammed into a tree at Ponda. Police confirmed that the driver had dozed off at the wheel leading to such a mishap.

Another news confirmed that one person died in a big road accident around Bethora bypass, near Ponda, while three people suffered serious injuries. It was because the car they were travelling in made a sudden turn, for unknown reasons. 

As per recent news, the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation asked the state government to prepare a traffic flow plan. This will streamline the traffic flow of vehicles on the Ponda Panaji route.

Goa Road Safety Forum says they will fine people for digging roads in Ponda that will lead to potholes and accidents. Around 100 Spring post delineators have been installed in Ponda City for better traffic management.