Less traffic, cleaner air. Ecopass (italian only) is a project launched by the City of Milan as part of its policy for sustainable mobility, the health of its citizens and environmental protection.

On 2 January 2008 the town council introduced an entry pass to the city, aimed at discouraging the use of the most polluting vehicles:

The objectives are:

• to lower pollution
• to protect the health of Milan’s citizens
• to improve the quality of life in Milan

Ecopass has allowed us to achieve some impressive results:

• cleaner air, with a decrease in the level of particulate matter in the city centre equivalent to 51 days exceeding EU limits (estimate based on a 5-year average); 
• less congestion, with the removal from the centre of Milan of 22,000 vehicles per day and a reduction in traffic accidents without and with injuries of 20.7% and 19.4% respectively; 
• more investments in public transport, with an improvement of Milan’s transport and city-wide mobility infrastructures, an additional 10,000 places available at peak times, 1300 extra tram and bus journeys and 40,000 people using public transport.
  (Source: Agenzia per la Mobilità e l’Ambiente – data as of 30/09/2008)

In collaboration with the City of Milan, between July and September 2007 ATM completed civil engineering works to alter road widths, putting in place 43 barriers to monitor vehicles entering the Ecopass zone bounded by the Cerchia dei Bastioni using an automated licence plate recognition system.

Additionally, between September and December 2007, ATM tested this network and made all the pre-operational checks needed for the entire system to come into operation.

From 2008 ATM has been actively involved in the sale of Ecopass payment cards and in managing, on behalf of the City of Milan, income from the pass and data on vehicles incurring sanctions.