Government may fix retirement age for commercial vehicles at 20 years, says report

In a bid to curb emissions and boosting demand for new vehicles, the government may fix retirement age of commercial vehicles at 20 years, reported The Economic Times.

The policy which is expected to go soon for cabinet clearance will stop vehicles that are 20 years and older plying from 2020, the report said.

“We have proposed to fix 20 years as the lifetime for commercial vehicles. The vehicle scrapping policy will come into force from 2020, after which any commercial vehicle that completes 20 years would go off the road…We are hoping to get the cabinet’s nod soon,”  an official was quoted saying in the report.

With over 7 lakh vehicles reaching the 20-year mark by 2020 the decision could have a huge impact on the economy, the daily said.

In order to make the policy more acceptable to the public, the authorities are also looking to provide incentives to those who replace old vehicles with new models, the report said.