Carpooling: a bonus of 100 euros paid in early 2023 to new drivers – France

Motorists who regularly board carpoolers on their way to work will receive a bonus of 100 euros in 2023, the government announced on Tuesday. This bonus will be paid only to new subscribers on daily carpooling platforms (i.e. trips of less than 80 kilometers), with 25 euros paid from the first trip, and an additional 75 euros if 9 trips are made in the following three months.

Another bonus of 100 euros, which can be combined, will be paid to motorists making three trips over a long distance. These minimum sums will be paid directly by the carpooling platforms, which will set the details. The bonus may also be paid in the form of vouchers.

Carpooling mistreated by covid

After a first plan in 2019, and difficult covid years for carpooling, the government wants to give a new boost to this practice, which limits traffic jams and pollution. “The purpose of this enhanced bonus is to encourage drivers to start carpooling,” said Minister for Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

“In addition to the positive effects of this measure on the climate, it is a response to the increase in fuel prices, complementary to the measures that we have already implemented for the French, such as the fuel rebate or aid for modest workers. It also complements our increased efforts to electrify the vehicle fleet and develop active mobility,” continued the Minister.

Objective: 3 million journeys in a few years

The Ministers of Ecological Transition and Transport, Christophe Béchu and Clément Beaune, must present this plan in detail Tuesday morning in Reims, for a total of 150 million euros. The government provides support for communities that offer financial incentives for carpooling (for example by giving one euro per trip), up to 50 million euros. The same sum will be devoted to the co-financing of carpooling areas or dedicated lanes, up to one euro paid for each euro invested by the local authorities.

The goal is to increase from 900,000 monthly trips today to three million in a few years. While 50 million empty seats circulate every day, tripling the number of carpoolers would avoid 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year, according to the Ministry of Transport.