Photo: TransLink
Vancouver’s TransLink offers public transit passes in exchange for old cars
08 October 2021
by Christopher Carey
Vancouver’s transit authority TransLink is partnering with non-profit SCRAP-IT to offer customers public transit passes worth CAD$802 (US$638) when they scrap their old fossil fuel cars.
Residents in the Metro Vancouver area can apply online for the scheme to receive an eight-month adult single-zone pass or a 14-month three-zone concession Compass Card.
“We are facing a climate emergency and we must all take steps to reduce our carbon emissions,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn.
“Partnerships like this help people make greener, more environmentally friendly choices. By choosing public transportation you are helping reduce congestion and the region’s carbon footprint.”
The authority hopes the scheme will contribute towards its goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2050, while reducing car dependency and congestion as traffic returns to pre-COVID levels.
SCRAP-IT
For over 25 years, the SCRAP-IT programme has been offering green transportation incentives to encourage Canadian drivers in British Columbia (BC) and Alberta to give up their older fossil fuel cars for electric vehicle (EV) subsidies, carshare credits, transit passes, e-bikes and cash rebates.
The organisation also offers an 11-month ECOPASS (CAD$880 value) valid on the neighbouring Victoria Regional transit System for scrappage vehicles, provided by the government-sponsored Clean BC Go Electric Program.
“British Columbians know about the climate emergency and may be considering what they can do that will make a difference,” says SCRAP-IT CEO Diane Roberts.
“Our programme gives them the opportunity to make the switch to a cleaner form of transportation and make that transition much more affordable. It’s a win-win for the environment and their own pocketbook.”
SCRAP-IT also works with Clean BC to offer CAD$6,000 and CAD$3,000 rebates for new and used electric vehicles (EVs).
It says the initiative differs from other scrappage schemes in that the cars are “dismantled and shredded, not recycled in the traditional way where parts are sold to keep other older polluting vehicles on the road”.
From January 2015 to December 2020, 6,251 fossil fuel vehicles were scrapped and replaced with EVs through the programme.
Image: TransLink
