According to recent estimates by the economic research firm Astères, the use of shared cars by households could generate an annual gain in purchasing power of more than 1,000 euros. The government intends to encourage the use of this more energy-efficient mode of transport, as Clément Beaune explained during the press conference on the energy sobriety plan on Thursday afternoon:
It is necessary to change the uses passing from the most polluting modes to the least polluting, summed up the Minister of Transport. The car represents 85% of our modes of transport today. We will implement a bonus before January 1, 2023 so that those who enter the carpool scheme have a financial advantage when doing so.
While France currently lists one million carpoolers per day on its roads for a total of 114 million carpools each weekday, a “carpool plan” will be announced in the coming weeks according to information from BFMTV. , the first outlines of which are provided.
• A bond financed by energy saving certificates
This plan will effectively be based on a system of economic incentives through a bonus paid to drivers who create an account on a carpooling platform such as Blablacar or Karos. This financial aid would be distributed in two stages once a certain number of trips had been reached. Clement Beaune had mentioned a global aid of 100 euros, but the Ministry of Transport indicates that in reality the amount of the subsidy has not yet been decided.
On the other hand, it is not the State that would finance this device but the system of energy saving certificates (CEE). These certificates are purchased by energy providers as compensation for the pollution they emit. The providers then donate them to more “virtuous” companies, such as those that tend to share vehicles. Thus, the CES will be used to finance the aid mentioned above.
• Easier uses for carpool users
Beyond this financial incentive, the government is considering facilitating the carpooler experience. For example, it wants to provide them with free parking and invites motorway companies to move forward on this issue. In addition, traffic lanes could be reserved for them. As such, the government plans to kill two birds with one stone by perpetuating reserved lanes around the time of the 2024 Olympics for carpoolers.
Source: BFM TV
