Ecopass
The Ecopass program was a traffic pollution charge implemented in Milan, Italy, as an urban toll for some motorists traveling within a designated traffic restricted zone or ZTL (Italian: Zone a Traffico Limitato), corresponding to the central Cerchia dei Bastioni area and encircling around 8.2 km2 (3.2 sq mi). The Ecopass was implemented as a one-year trial program on 2 January 2008, and later extended until 31 December 2009. A public consultation was planned to be conducted early in 2009 to decide if the charge becomes permanent. Subsequently, the charge-scheme was prolonged until 31 December 2011. Starting from 16 January 2012, a new scheme (called Milan Area C) was introduced, converting it from a pollution-charge to a conventional congestion charge.
The primary purpose of the program was to reduce traffic and air pollution, as it was based on a fee structure according to the vehicle's engine emission standards, and to use the funds raised through the charge to finance public transportation projects, cycle paths, and green vehicles. This program was similar to the congestion pricing programs implemented in London and Stockholm, although there was a variation of these pricing schemes, as only vehicles with high-polluting engines entering the ZTL were charged, and the ones with older most polluting engines were banned.