Coventry pays drivers £3,000 to give up their car and use public transport

The UK city of Coventry is piloting an incentive programme with the aim of motivating people to give up their polluting, private cars. People who take part in the programme will receive £3,000 (about EUR 3,550) that will be loaded on to a travel card, which can be used to buy a range of transport services, such as train and bus journeys, taxi rides and to rent bicycles.

Even if the car given up is worth less than £ 3,000, people will still receive the full sum on the travel card.

The programme only allows the giving up of more polluting cars: diesel vehicles built before 2016; and petrol ones built before 2006. So far, about 150 people have taken part in the programme. The city is looking for another 200 people to join.

Coventry’s pilot programme aligns well with the national plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.