Motorists will be given cash to leave their cars at home (Picture: PA)

Drivers will be given up to £3,000 a year to swap their cars for public transport.

A trial in the West Midlands will ask participants to ditch their vehicles and instead rely on buses, trains, electric car hire and bike sharing schemes.

The project, which will be launched in Coventry before expanding across the region, aims to take polluting cars off city streets.

It will see cash credits loaded on to a travel card and smartphone app to spend on public transport or green hire schemes, The Times reported.

Motorists must surrender their car for a time in order to test how much money is needed to spark a change in travel habits.

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The scheme is being funded as part of a £20 million government “future mobility” grant, but the plan is to eventually replace taxpayer support with money from private companies such as train operators and electric car clubs.

Congestion cost the UK economy nearly £8 billion last year as drivers were stuck in traffic for an average of 178 hours a year.

Drivers will be encouraged to take public transport instead of their cars (Picture: PA)

The trial was approved last week by the West Midlands Combined Authority, which represents 12 local councils.

John Seddon, head of transport and innovation at Coventry city council, told The Times: “We see it as a variant of scrappage schemes of the past but rather than trading in an old car for a newer one, it is trading in the car for the ability to use other modes of transport.”

More than 100 people will take part in the initial trial for a period of two to three years. They will be given a Swift card that gives access to a range of transport options.

Participants are expected to be given between £2,000 and £3,000 a year.

Mr Seddon said: “For it to be fully effective we would want people to make the commitment where the car was at least surrendered for a particular time, so we can properly test how they would use the mobility credits and how they would change their travel patterns in the absence of having their car.”

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