A new smartphone and PC application that shows the real-time status of each European environmental zone will be launched today (May 9) at the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich, Germany.
The new Green-Zones app has been developed to improve the lives of truck, bus and car drivers on European roads, as it provides unique live overview of the continent’s complex environmental zones. Drivers of all types of vehicle using European roads need to be informed about the various environmental zones that they may drive through during a trip, if they are to avoid the financial penalties that could be incurred.
Different European countries can have driving bans at national level; regional environmental zones; or local exceptional rules. Drivers need to know what day, at what time, and for which class of vehicles these bans are applicable to. There are many environmental badges and environmental zones organized in different ways depending on the country. As an example, France offers six classes of badge, with these Crit’Air vignettes you can drive in established environmental zones or not, depending on the day and the color of the vignette, which is in turn determined on the basis of the emission norms of each vehicle.
The new Green-Zones app informs drivers about the status of each environmental zone in real time, and from 8:00pm it also describes the conditions for the next day on a given route. Starting on May 8 with the website, and from the end of June with the Android/Apple-compatible smartphone app, drivers can consult on all the details about each of the norms and exceptions in all of Europe’s environmental zones for each day, and the environmental badge or vignette that is mandatory in each of them. A map system based on geodata shows the limits of each environmental zone, and the announcements of local environmental authorities are included on a daily basis.
The app shows up to five levels of warning about potential air pollution alarms, so drivers can avoid potential driving restrictions or bans. The app is available in English, German, French and Spanish. It is free for existing customers of Green-Zones, a private company that offers information and advice on environmental zones, while also offering drivers the opportunity to purchase the different badges or required for any particular European journey.