CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s vehicular population has crossed four crore, with a surge in personal vehicles, particularly two-wheelers and cars, driving the expansion while the number of stage carriages has remained largely stagnant, official data show.
In less than two decades, the vehicle population has more than quadrupled. The state had 4.057 crore vehicles in 2026-27 (up to June), up from 3.992 crore in 2025-26 and 1.007 crore in 2007-08.
The state took about seven years to move from one crore to two crore vehicles, another six years to cross three crore and roughly six more years to breach four crore.
The character of Tamil Nadu's vehicle growth has also changed sharply. Two-wheelers alone account for 3.38 crore vehicles, or more than 83% of the state's entire vehicular population. Their numbers have risen from 82.6 lakh in 2007-08 to 3.38 crore in 2026-27, registering a more than four-fold increase.
Cars have also emerged as a major contributor. The number of motor cars increased from 8.3 lakh in 2007-08 to 42.2 lakh in 2026-27, a more than five-fold rise. Together, two-wheelers and cars account for nearly 94% of all vehicles in the state.
The growth has been particularly pronounced over the past decade. Total vehicles increased from 2.04 crore in 2014-15 to 3.76 crore in 2024-25, before crossing 4 crore in 2026-27. Two-wheelers increased from 1.70 crore to 3.16 crore during 2014-15 to 2024-25, while motor cars rose from 18.2 lakh to 38.4 lakh.
In contrast, the growth in public transport has been modest. Stage carriages numbered 31,148 in 2024-25, compared with 24,879 in 2007-08. The increase of about 25% over nearly two decades is dwarfed by the growth in personal vehicles.
The number of stage carriages, which stood at 34,381 in 2014-15, has in fact declined since then. Public-sector stage carriages fell from 22,474 in 2014-15 to 20,527 in 2024-25, while private stage carriages remained broadly in the 7,000 to 8,000 range.
Retired Anna University urban engineering professor KP Subramanian said the government should make a determined effort to strengthen public transport to check the growth of personal vehicles, particularly two-wheelers.
“Public transport should be promoted by increasing its frequency and integrating it with other modes of transport. There is also a need for fair integration. Footpaths and cycle tracks should be provided to connect public transport stations,” he said.
Subramanian said personal transport offered comfort, but lacked safety, particularly two-wheelers, which he described as the most vulnerable mode of transport.