Mobility Bonus FAQs

Last May, the municipality of Milan announced a new bike lane project for Milan and its intention on becoming the cleanest and most bike friendly city in Europe. The Environmental Minister of Italy also announced the “Bonus Mobilità 2020 – Mobility Voucher Program”, a special tax refund to anyone buying bikes, including pedal assisted bicycles, as well as vehicles for personal mobility with mainly electric propulsion (eg . scooters, hoverboards and segways) available to residents in most Italian cities.

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Here is the latest update in English of th eFrequently Asked Questions about the Bonus Mobilità 2020 – Mobility Voucher Program also know as the Bike Bonus from the official website.

Source: MINISTERO DELL’AMBIENTE E DELLA TUTELA DEL TERRITORIO E DEL MARE
https://www.minambiente.it/bonus-mobilita
(Updated September 16, 2020)

WHEN WILL THE APPLICATION TO REQUEST THE MOBILITY VOUCHER OR THE REFUND FOR PURCHASES ALREADY MADE BE OPERATIONAL?

To request the mobility voucher or the reimbursement for purchases made, beneficiaries can register on the web application dedicated to the “Experimental Coupon Mobility 2020 Program” from 3 November, ie starting from the sixtieth day from the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic. The subjects that provide shared mobility services for individual use, excluding those using cars, companies and businesses that sell bicycles, including pedal-assisted bicycles, as well as vehicles for personal mobility with mainly electric propulsion pursuant to art. 33-bis of the decree-law 30 December 2019, n. 162, converted with amendments by law February 28, 2020, n. 8, can be accredited on the web application from 19 October, ie starting from the forty-fifth day from the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic .
Those who have purchased a mobility good or service provided for by the decree up to the day before the activation of the web application will receive a refund with a bank transfer, those who have not yet done so will obtain a “mobility voucher” which will be delivered to the shopkeeper, who it will then be reimbursed by the Ministry.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The mobility voucher is a contribution equal to 60 per cent of the expenditure incurred and, in any case, not exceeding 500 euros for the purchase of bicycles, including pedal assisted bicycles, as well as vehicles for personal mobility with mainly electric propulsion (eg . scooters, hoverboards and segways) or for the use of shared mobility services for individual use excluding those using cars.

HOW WILL THE REFUND BE MADE?

There will be two phases: in one, the citizen will be reimbursed for 60% of the cost; in the second, the citizen pays 40% directly to the participating shopkeeper and the participating shopkeeper will receive a refund of 60%. The reimbursement will take place within the limits of available resources .

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The mobility voucher can be used using a specific web application that is being prepared and will be accessible, also from the institutional website of the Ministry of the Environment, starting from the 60th day of the publication in the Official Gazette of the inter-ministerial decree implementing the mobility voucher program. . To access the application it is necessary to have SPID (Public Digital Identity System) credentials.

• Phase 1 (from 4 May 2020 until the day before the web application starts operating and no later than 31 December 2020): reimbursement to the beneficiary is foreseen to obtain the contribution, it is necessary to keep the supporting document of expenditure (invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes as per Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2016, published in the GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303) and attach it to the application to be submitted by the web application.
• Phase 2 (from the day the web application starts operating): direct discount is provided by the supplier of the requested good / service, based on a digital shopping voucher that the beneficiaries can generate on the web application. In practice, interested parties will have to indicate on the web application the means or service they intend to purchase and the platform will generate the digital shopping voucher to be delivered to authorized suppliers to collect the goods or enjoy the identified service.

CAN ONLY CITIZENS IN MUNICIPALITIES OVER 50,000 INHABITANTS USE IT?

No! 
The mobility voucher for the year 2020 can be used by adults who have their residence (and not domicile) in the regional capitals (even under 50,000 inhabitants), in the provincial capitals (even under 50,000 inhabitants), in municipalities with population over 50,000 inhabitants and in the municipalities of metropolitan cities (even below 50,000 inhabitants). 

WHAT IS MEANT BY MUNICIPALITIES OF METROPOLITAN CITIES?

There are 14 metropolitan cities: Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Genoa, Messina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Rome Capital, Turin, Venice. The list of municipalities belonging to the aforementioned metropolitan cities can be consulted on the relative institutional websites.
For the population of the Municipalities, reference is made to the Istat database relating to 1 January 2019.

WHAT CAN I BUY?

The mobility voucher can be requested only once and for the purchase of only one good or service among those listed below:

• new or used bicycles, both traditional and pedal assisted;
• new or used handbikes;
• new or used vehicles for personal mobility with mainly electric propulsion, referred to in article 33-bis of Legislative Decree 162/2019, converted with amendments by law 8/2020 (eg scooters, hoverboards, segways);
• shared mobility services for individual use excluding those using cars. 

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ASSISTED BICYCLE?

The pedal assisted bicycle is a bicycle with an electric motor that facilitates pedaling making it easier to proceed even uphill. The Highway Code sets requirements for these bicycles (maximum engine power equal to 0.25 kW, electric motor assistance up to a speed of 25 km / h, interruption of assistance if you stop pedaling). For the purchase of bicycles that do not meet these requirements, it is not possible to use the voucher.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SHARED MOBILITY FOR INDIVIDUAL USE?

By shared mobility for individual use we mean a mode of travel that involves the use of “shared” vehicles and halves made available by public and private operators. The so-called “sharing mobility” services, eg. scooter sharing, bike sharing, can be used in many Italian cities.

HOW CAN I PURCHASE A SHARED MOBILITY SERVICE?

• Phase 1 (from May 4, 2020 until the day before the web application starts operating): it is possible to purchase shared mobility services at any retailer, with headquarters also located in a Municipality other than the Municipality of residence of the beneficiary, not abroad; in any case, the retailer must issue a specific invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes pursuant to the Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2016, published in the GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303.
• Phase 2 (from the day the web application starts operating and no later than 31 December 2020): it is possible to purchase shared mobility services from accredited subjects and included in the list of suppliers which can be consulted by the beneficiaries through the web application. In this case, the suppliers will have to accept the shopping vouchers that will be used exclusively for the shared mobility services allowed.

CAN I BUY ACCESSORIES?

The purchase of accessories and / or components (frames, wheels, electric motors, helmets, batteries, chains, padlocks, etc.) is not admissible.

CAN I BUY USED BIKES OR VEHICLES?

Yes, used vehicles for personal mobility and used bikes can be purchased, for which it is in any case necessary to obtain an invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes pursuant to the Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2016, published in the GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303.

CAN I BUY THE BIKE IN ANY SHOP?

• For stage 1 you can purchase the bike or personal mobility vehicle at any store. It is sufficient that the invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes referred to in the Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2016, published in the GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303.
• In phase 2 , the list of all retailers participating in the initiative will be published on the platform that will be released and communicated through the website of the Ministry of the Environment ( www.minambiente.it ).

CAN I BUY THE BIKE OR PERSONAL MOBILITY VEHICLE ON AN ONLINE SITE OF A FOREIGN COMPANY?

Yes, it is still necessary to obtain an invoice, also in English, which however has all the items of an Italian invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes referred to in the Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2016, published in the GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303.

DO I NEED AN INVOICE OR RECEIPT TO OBTAIN THE CONTRIBUTION IN PHASE 1?

In Phase 1 (from May 4, 2020 until the day before the web application starts operating), to obtain the contribution, it is necessary to keep the invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes referred to in the Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2016, published in the GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303 and attach it to the application to be submitted through the web application.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BUY ONLINE?

YES. In particular:

• in Phase 1 (from May 4, 2020 until the day before the web application starts operating), it is possible to purchase online as long as the invoice or other commercial documentation valid for tax purposes referred to in the Ministerial Decree of December 7, 2016, published in GURI of 29 December 2016, n. 303, which must subsequently be attached to the refund application;
   
• in Phase 2 (from the day the web application starts operating and no later than 31 December 2020) it is possible to purchase online only at retailers accredited on the web application.

PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF THE VOUCHER

Shopping vouchers must be used within 30 days of their generation, under penalty of cancellation.

CHECKS AND SANCTIONS

The Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and the Sea checks and evaluates the applications received and supervises the correct use of the mobility voucher. In the event of any non-conforming uses or violations of the law, the Ministry may cancel the mobility voucher or delete a structure, company or business from the list of suppliers.

MOBILITY VOUCHER PROGRAM 2020 (WITHOUT SCRAPPING) AND MOBILITY VOUCHER PROGRAM 2021 (AFTER SCRAPPING)

The mobility voucher program (art.2 paragraph 1 of the Climate Decree as amended by the Relaunch Decree) provides for:

• for 2020, the provision of mobility vouchers for purchases made from 4 May 2020 to 31 December 2020, without scrapping old vehicles;
• starting from 1 January 2021, the disbursement of mobility vouchers for the scrapping of old vehicles; the mobility vouchers can be spent by 31 December 2024.

GOOD SCRAPPING: ON WHAT DATE MUST THE VEHICLES BE SCRAPPED OR SCRAPPED TO BE ABLE TO REQUEST THE SCRAPPING BONUS?

The bonus concerns scrapping already carried out from 15 October 2019 by 18 May 2020 and those that will be carried out starting from 1 January 2021 until 31 December 2021. The bonus can be requested starting from 1 January 2021 through a web application. The vehicles whose scrapping gives the right to the bonus are cars up to the Euro3 class or motorcycles up to the Euro2 and Euro3 two-stroke class.

IF IN 2020 I USED THE 2020 MOBILITY BONUS (WITHOUT SCRAPPING) NEXT YEAR I CAN ALSO USE THE 2021 MOBILITY VOUCHER (WITH THE SCRAPPING REQUIRED BY LAW IN THE CLIMATE LAW?)

Yes. Procedures and terms for obtaining and disbursing benefits will be defined with a subsequent inter-ministerial decree implementing the mobility voucher program. Last modified: 09/16/2020