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Brenner Pass: High costs for old vehicles

The governor of South Tyrol has submitted a concept to the government in Rome that is intended to re-regulate transit traffic over the Brenner Pass. The digital system is supposed to make traffic more environmentally friendly and the air cleaner.

Nearly 2.45 million transit trucks crossed the Brenner Pass in 2021. The volume of heavy goods traffic continues to increase, and in order to prevent further records from being broken and to regulate traffic, the "digitalised Brenner motorway" is to be introduced. In future, the toll will be based on the environmental class - low-emission vehicles will be given an advantage, while vehicles with high emissions will be asked to pay more. In addition, it will be possible to book time slots in the future. In this way, cheaper tolls could be charged at times of low capacity utilisation.

This is interesting for many transport companies, because since 1 January the minimum wage has increased in Austria and Germany and costs have to be saved elsewhere. The digital system should help to equalise the traffic and at the same time ensure that the pollution in the communities bordering the Brenner is noticeably reduced.

As a reminder: In July, a new CO2 tax will come into force in Austria. Per tonne of CO2, 30 euros will have to be paid, and by 2025 this amount will gradually rise to 50 euros.

It is still only a concept paper. Now the Italian government has to examine the plans and implement them - provided they are found to be good. In any case, the concept sounds promising and could actually give the exhaust-ridden burners a little more fresh air.