MOTORISTS are being called on to hand over their old polluting cars to be crushed for scrap in exchange for £3,000 to use on public transport.
The pioneering scheme has already been taken up by six environmentally-conscious car owners – with dozens more lining up to join.
The pilot has been set up by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) in Coventry where drivers of ageing, high-emission vehicles have been quick to take up the offer.
In exchange for scrapping their car, owners are given £3,000 worth of mobility credits to cover the cost of alternative transport including buses, trains, taxis and car hire over two years.
TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), believes the incentive will help persuade owners of heavily polluting cars to use more environmentally-friendly transport – helping to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
One of the first to wave goodbye to their car was mechanical engineer Mohammed Fasiuddin from Foleshill.
His 2006 grey Citreon C1, which he used for his daily commute to his office 16 miles away in Hinckley, has now been crushed into a cube of steel.
He said: “I was a little sad to see the car go, but I haven’t been using it as much as I used to before Covid. I’m working from home more now so the offer came at the right time for me to get rid of it.
“I have a bus stop two minutes away which is very convenient and I no longer need to worry about the car breaking down or failing the MOT and a huge repair bill at the garage.”
His car was collected by scrappage and recycling firm Car Take Back which took it to the Mainline Salvage car recycling facility at Wolverhampton for crushing.
With £1m in funding being provided through the region’s Future Transport Zone initiative, there is capacity to take 250 high-polluting vehicles off the streets over the next two years.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is facing a climate emergency and tackling that means reducing air pollution and finding ways to encourage people to cut out unnecessary private car journeys in favour of public transport or active travel such as cycling and walking.
“Drivers will only leave their cars if suitable alternatives are available and that’s why we are investing billions in public transport and active travel, as well as trialling these new innovative schemes.”
The Mobility Credits scheme is currently open to people in Coventry who own a car more than ten years old.
