Ontario scraps Drive Clean, plans to focus on trucks

Ontario scrapped the Drive Clean passenger vehicle program last week.

Starting April 1,2019, drivers will no longer need to get Drive Clean emissions test for their passenger vehicles. The government of Ontario says this move is avoiding taxpayers costs up to $40 million a year.

In lieu of Drive Clean, a new program that will focus on the biggest polluting vehicles like commercial transport trucks will be put place.

The provincial government also said the reason behind this cancellation was that ” auto industry standards have significantly improved since the program was created in 1999 making this program no longer necessary.”

Owners of vehicles will still be required to make sure their vehicle emissions systems are operating properly. The ministry added that it will be strengthening its on-road inspections to ensure owners are properly maintaining their vehicle emissions.

A policy proposal has been posted on the Environmental Registry for 30 days to encourage public consultation on the changes to the Drive Clean program.