The Brussels Capital Region in Belgium recently announced the relaunch of Bruxell’air – a sustainable mobility bonus to encourage more people to switch from personal vehicle usage to less carbon-intensive modes of transportation in the city.
Bruxell’air offers a bonus of up to 900 euros (~US$995) to every resident who cancels their car registration with the local authorities and applies for the bonus. Beneficiaries are required to choose from an à la carte menu of services in order to find the mobility solution best suited to their needs:
- a bike budget to purchase bicycles and equipment;
- coupons for a bicycle rental company;
- coupons for taxi cab rides;
- public transport subscriptions and TaxiBus vouchers;
- a subscription for a shared car system; and
- coupons to access a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) system.
Bruxell’air was created in 2006, but this recent relaunch has a number of changes: the bonus amount has nearly doubled – from 500 euros to 900 euros; Bruxell’air will no longer help citizens if their vehicle was damaged – the previous amount was 1000 euros; and the program will now be under the supervision of the city’s environmental authorities.
The bonuses will be distributed based on the yearly income of the individual or household, with higher bonuses being awarded to those with lower incomes. People with disabilities will receive the highest amount of 900 euros, regardless of their income. Any bonus amount that is not spent on transportation needs to be returned to the city.
Alain Maron, Brussels’ Minister for Climate Transition and the Environment, said: “This reform of the Bruxell’air bonus is an important tool to encourage a transport shift in Brussels. By quadrupling its budget and ensuring that it pays special attention to disadvantaged households and people with reduced mobility, we want to enable all the city’s inhabitants to gradually make the transition to more sustainable mobility.”