How to get a €200 payout from the French government for car sharing

From pushing electric cars to public transport improvements, France is trying hard to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles.

Another of its initiatives is to encourage people to share car journeys.

The government’s covoiturage du quotidien (daily car-sharing scheme) aims to increase the number of pooled journeys to 3 million by 2027.

Out of the 14 measures implemented to reach this number, two different €100 bonuses are available to those who offer up space in their car.

There are two of these extra bonuses up for grabs: a short-distance carpooling bonus and a long-distance one.

Drivers in France can be eligible to receive both, netting €200 overall.

What are the conditions to sign up?

For both the long-distance and short-distance bonuses, there are a number of simple requirements, such as having a valid driver’s licence and insurance for your vehicle.

You must also sign up for one of the 18 eligible car-sharing platforms, listed later in this article.

To receive the bonus, you must also sign up for the app (as a driver) for the first time in 2023.

Those who were already signed up before January 1, 2023, are not eligible for the bonus.

The additional requirement for the short-distance bonus is you must complete one car-sharing journey (as a driver) of less than 80km on your chosen application and then complete a further nine journeys of less than 80km in the next three months.

For the long-distance bonus, you must complete one car-sharing journey (as a driver) of more than 80km on your chosen application, then two further journeys of more than 80km in the next three months.

Those who already received fuel vouchers or gift cards under the Energy Savings Certificates (CEE) scheme with Blablacar, Klaxit and Karos over the last three years are not eligible to receive the bonus either.

Read more: Six changes for drivers in France in 2023

What apps can I sign up for as part of the scheme?

Drivers can sign up to one of 18 different apps to become a car-sharing driver – you only receive the bonus once per driver and not once per app, however.

The 18 apps are as follows:

• BlaBlaCar Daily
• Covoit’ici
• Ecov
• France Covoit by Ecov
• Héléman
• Lane
• La roue verte
• M covoit'
• Mobicoop
• Mobil’Aude
• Ouestgo
• onCovoit'
• Pass Pass covoiturage
• Picholines
• Karos
• Klaxit
• Star’t
• Ynstant

BlaBlaCar is the best-known car-sharing app in France, although others may be more common in certain areas of the country. Research your area online to know what is the best app for you to sign up to.

Each application will have a different sign-up process to claim the prime covoiturage, which is done internally.

How are the payments made?

Payments come in the form of cash or vouchers (bons d’achat) and are paid out in two instalments.

The first €25 is paid within three months of completing the first trip, and a later payment of €75 is made within three months of your tenth short (or third long) trip, provided they are made within the time limit.

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