As part of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone initiative, the city’s Vehicle Scrappage and Travel Credit Scheme are encouraging motorists who work within the zone to take advantage of a £2,000 grant from Birmingham City Council.
The scheme aims to remove older and more polluting cars from the streets by offering drivers a grant towards the cost of a new, environmentally friendly vehicle from Motorpoint’s stores in Birmingham and Oldbury.
The partnership between Motorpoint, Birmingham City Council, and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) operates the £10m scrappage scheme, which aims to support people working in the Clean Air Zone by providing an alternative to the daily fee.
Successful applicants to the scheme can receive a £2,000 grant, which can be used on a ‘travel credit’ for the city’s public transport network or to purchase a vehicle that meets the Clean Air Zone’s emission standards in exchange for scrapping their existing vehicle.
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.”
Anthony Brown, a bank employee based in Birmingham city centre, has already taken advantage of the Motorpoint Oldbury scrappage scheme. He scrapped his 60-plate Vauxhall Insignia, valued at around £1,500, and used the £2,000 credit towards a 69-plate Kia Sportage with lower emissions. When he realized that driving his old diesel car into the city would cost him £8 per day, not including fuel and parking, he decided to apply for the grant. Anthony recommends that other commuters who face similar fees for driving older cars into the Clean Air Zone consider the scheme. Anthony said:
“This is a very good scheme.” He added: “and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is eligible. £2,000 is an offer you just can’t ignore.
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.”
For further information on how to apply for the scrappage scheme, go to www.brumbreathes.co.uk/info
Source www.motorpoint.co.uk
