The government is implementing various nudges to help French people who are facing inflation. The latter implies in particular the increase in fuel prices. To get the new year off to a good start, some beneficiaries will receive aid of 100 euros. That being the case, what exactly is it regarding?
Plan national “everyday carpooling”
According to the site of the French administration, Service-Public, this is a new lever. This is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That said, it is intended to encourage carpooling.
That’s why it’s called national plan “everyday carpooling”. The objective is to pass from 900,000 daily carpooling trips to 3 million in 2027. This new boost targets commuting.
It provides an aid of 100 euros “for drivers who start short-distance carpooling from January 1, 2023”. The payment will be in monetary form or voucher and it will be done gradually.
Indeed, here is what specifies the government site regarding the gradual payment of the 2023 carpooling bonus:
- A first payment of 25 euross to be made no later than 3 months following the 1st carpooling trip
- A second payment of 75 euros to be made no later than 3 months following the completion of the 10th carpooling trip
Some conditions to respect
A few conditions must be met for benefit from this national plan “everyday carpooling”. For this you need:
- Have a driving license
- Make a first carpooling trip as a driver in 2023. Then make 9 more in the following 3 months.
- Do not travel a distance of more than 80 kilometers in France
- Use an eligible carpool operator
In fact, the government selected several carpooling platforms. To benefit from the aid of 100 euros, you must go through one of these operators. Among these: BlaBlaCar Daily, Coopgo, Ecov, La roue verte, Mobicoop, Karos, Klaxit and Ynstant.
That said, opt for one of these platforms to perform your carpooling journeys from January 1, 2023. Thus, you will be able to receive the aid of 100 euros, if obviously you meet the other requirements set. This bonus, you will have it directly from the operator in question.
Note that it is the operators who will set the details. You will not be no longer eligible for aid of 100 euros if you benefit:
- Fuel vouchers
- Gift cards as part of the energy savings certificate scheme at BlaBlaCar, Klaxit and Karos in the last 3 years
Financial incentives from local authorities
Some local authorities, in order to encourage the practice of carpooling, offer drivers and passengers financial incentives. In effect :
- Passengers can carpool for free or for a few days
- Drivers get a bonus for each person transported. In 2023, on the basis of the principle of 1 euro from the State for 1 euro from the community, the State will supplement this financial aid.
For information, carpooling is an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This practice makes it possible tosave 6 kg of CO2 per trip. At the time you are reading this text, the share of carpooling in commuting is estimated at 3%.
Things to know regarding carpooling
Carpooling is joint use of a vehicle by a non-professional driver with one or more passengers. The goal is to complete all or part of a route initially planned by the driver. Remuneration for this practice should not be outside the sharing of travel expenses.
Carpooling differs from public transport. Whether collective public transport (public transport) or private public transport (taxi and VTC)! There are two essential criteria that distinguish the two uses:
- Authorized financial flows: cost sharing for carpooling only.
- The reason for the driver’s trip: in the context of carpooling, the trip is initially intended for the personal use of the driver.
These two criteria must be met for it to be carpooling. Otherwise, it would be a professional activity falling within the specific legal framework of public passenger transport. Here’s what the article says L. 3132-1 of the transport code:
“The joint use of a motorized land vehicle by a driver and one or more passengers, carried out free of charge, except for the sharing of costs, within the framework of a trip that the driver makes for his own account. »
Carpooling involves 4 types of trips :
- Those of very short distance: up to 20km
- Those home-work so-called “very short daily from short distance” : between 20 and 80 km. They would represent 6 billion passenger-kilometresi.e. regarding 10% of the total traveled for this reason.
- Those of medium distance
- Long-distance personal travel (excluding planes). They would represent 3.5 billion passenger-kilometres. This represents 1.6% of long-distance trips.
Benefits of carpooling
There are received ideas that persist and hinder the development of carpooling. Indeed, there are those who think that it would be too restrictive, unreliable or not profitable enough. However, it is an opportunity to improve the quality of life and meet the challenges of daily mobility.
For the user
Carpooling :
- Increases purchasing power. Let’s assume that an employee driver lives 30 km from his place of work. By carpooling daily, alternating with a neighbor or colleague, he can save nearly 2,000 euros each year.
- Participates in the improvement of air quality. The individual car alone represents more than 15% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. By sharing a vehicle, you can halve the CO2 emissions of your journey.
- Allows you to move freely. Where there is no public transport, carpooling creates a shared mobility offer. It also allows access to transport for those who do not have a car or cannot drive.
- Improves user-friendliness in everyday transport.
For the community
Carpooling allows:
- To reduce congestion, but also allows a gain in terms of parking.
- Reduce public costs for communities.
- To reduce atmospheric pollution for metropolises.
- To have a concrete example of territorial solidarity.
Source : Marie-France
