Phuket lucky licence plate auction raises B45mn for road safety fund

A two-day auction of special vehicle registration numbers in Phuket raised B45,018,586 for the Road Safety Fund, according to the Phuket Provincial Transport Office.

The auction was held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12. The main “KhorTor 9999” series, promoted as meaning “Treasure of the Rich, Abundant Wealth”, drew the strongest bidding.

The first day of bidding, covering 301 registration numbers, raised B30,183,670. A second auction on Sunday featuring special numbers in the KhorChor, KhorGor, KhorJor, KhChoh and KhorTor series generated another B14,834,916.

The event was officially opened by Department of Land Transport Deputy Director-General Cheep Nomsean. He was joined by Phuket Provincial Land Transport Office Chief Adcha Buachan, government officials, private sector representatives and registered bidders.

Cheep said the annual auctions offer a transparent and fair way for motorists to bid for sought-after registration numbers while also raising money for road safety efforts.

The Phuket Provincial Transport Office thanked participants and bidders for supporting the fundraising drive. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Road Safety Fund, which supports road accident prevention campaigns, aid for crash victims and equipment for people disabled in road accidents.

The plates sold in this year’s auction carried a special graphic of Laem Promthep, one of Phuket’s best-known landmarks.

Before the bidding began, Adcha said Phuket had already held 22 premium registration plate auctions, generating a combined B446.24 million for the Road Safety Fund. This year’s event used both in-person and online bidding, allowing participants to take part remotely while maintaining transparency in the process.