Ecopass

The Ecopass program was a traffic pollution charge implemented in Milan, Italy, as an urban toll for some motorists traveling within a designated traffic restricted zone or ZTL (Italian: Zone a Traffico Limitato), corresponding to the central Cerchia dei Bastioni area and encircling around 8.2 km² (3.2 sq mi). The Ecopass was implemented as a one-year trial program on 2 January 2008,^[1][2][3] and later extended until 31 December 2009.^[4] A public consultation was planned to be conducted early in 2009 to decide if the charge becomes permanent.^[4] Subsequently, the charge-scheme was prolonged until 31 December 2011.^[5] Starting from 16 January 2012, a new scheme (called Milan Area C) was introduced, converting it from a pollution-charge to a conventional congestion charge.^[6]

The primary purpose of the program was to reduce traffic and air pollution, as it was based on a fee structure according to the vehicle's engine emission standards,^[7][8][9] and to use the funds raised through the charge to finance public transportation projects, cycle paths, and green vehicles.^[2][7] This program was similar to the congestion pricing programs implemented in London and Stockholm, although there was a variation of these pricing schemes,^[1][3][10] as only vehicles with high-polluting engines entering the ZTL were charged, and the ones with older most polluting engines were banned.^[10][11]