People who work within Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone are being encouraged to take advantage of the city’s pioneering Vehicle Scrappage and Travel Credit Scheme.
Introduced to help commuters affected by the introduction of an £8 daily fee to enter the Clean Air Zone, the scrappage scheme aims to take older and more polluting cars off the streets by offering drivers a £2,000 grant towards the cost of a new, more environmentally friendly model from Motorpoint’s stores in Birmingham and Oldbury.
The scrappage scheme is operated as a partnership between Motorpoint – the UK’s largest independent retailer of nearly new cars and vans – and Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority.
The £10m scrappage scheme aims to support people working in the Clean Air Zone providing an option of scrapping a vehicle that would otherwise be subject to the daily fee.
In return for scrapping a vehicle, successful applicants to the scheme can receive a £2,000 grant which can be used on a ‘travel credit’ that can be used on the city’s public transport network or to purchase a vehicle that meets the emission standards of the Clean Air Zone.
Councillor Liz Clements, Cabinet Member for Transport at Birmingham City Council said: “Since the launch of the Clean Air Zone, the percentage of the most polluting vehicles entering Birmingham city centre has more than halved, which is helping to reduce the levels of air pollution in our city.
“Through our partnership with Motorpoint, we’re encouraging people who work in the Clean Air Zone to scrap a non-compliant vehicle in exchange for a £2,000 credit that can be redeemed against public transport or a replacement, compliant vehicle. This scheme underlines our commitment to supporting the transformation of Birmingham to a clean air city.”
Mark Jones, General Sales Manager, Motorpoint Oldbury said: “We’ve had a lot of interest in the scrappage scheme with successful applicants receiving their £2000 grant either to replace their existing vehicle or using it for ‘public travel credit’ purposes. The scrappage scheme provides those commuters who work within the Clean Air Zone boundary an opportunity to change their older non-compliant car to a nearly new car that meets the Clean Air Standards and so avoid the daily £8 charge.
“All of our cars are 100% CAZ compliant. Our staff are very knowledgeable about the scheme, and we have over 30 makes and models to suit people’s budgets and driving needs. We know nearly new cars are far more efficient cars to run and are all at unbeatable prices.”
One driver who has already taken advantage of the scrappage scheme at Motorpoint’s Oldbury is Anthony Brown of Selly Oak.
Anthony, who works for a bank in Birmingham city centre, scrapped a 60-plate Vauxhall Insignia worth around £1,500 and put his £2,000 credit towards a 69-plate Kia Sportage with much lower emissions.
He felt compelled to apply for the grant when he realised driving into the city in his old diesel car was going to cost him £8-per-day, before he factored in the cost of fuel and parking.
He recommends that commuters facing similar fees for driving older cars into the CAZ should look into the scheme.
“This is a very good scheme,” Anthony said, “and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is eligible. £2,000 is an offer you just can’t ignore.”
He added: “Motorpoint Oldbury also has a great variety of cars to choose from that meet the criteria of the Clean Air Zone. They were brilliant from start to finish and were able to answer all my questions about the scheme and to help me find a CAZ-compliant car that was right for me.”
