An experimental project similar to what has been done in France: 25 cents per km, up to 50 euros a month. This is how Massarosa has decided to invest the money from fines.
Being able to cycle to work and get paid for it too. The municipality of Massarosa, in the province of Lucca, has decided to introduce a per-kilometre reimbursement for a selected number of people who choose to travel by bike rather than by car or public transport.
The initiative mirrors what was done not long ago in France, which also generated considerable interest in Italy.
The experimental project was presented on Friday 13 November and will involve fifty people selected from among the residents of Massarosa, with a maximum of ten municipal employees and ten workers from any single company.
Participants will use a smartphone application that monitors the routes completed, making it possible to calculate the reimbursement amount, which stands at 25 cents per kilometre. This figure is equivalent to that set in France; in the Italian case, however, there is a maximum reimbursement cap: fifty euros per month, or six hundred euros over a year, which corresponds to the duration of the initiative. There is also a daily limit on kilometres, as the daily reimbursement reaches a maximum of six euros.
The initiative is funded by a pot of around 30,000 euros drawn from fines and penalties, earmarked specifically for road safety or sustainable mobility projects.
The Federazione italiana amici della bicicletta della Versilia also collaborated in developing the project and has opened a Facebook group, with the aim of bringing together all those who wish to replicate a similar initiative in other Italian municipalities.