The removal of the carpooling bonus on January 1, 2025, has changed the game for all regular users of Citygo. The profitability calculation of a shared trip no longer relies on the same levers, and drivers as well as passengers who have not adapted their strategy are mechanically losing money.
Sustainable Mobility Package and Citygo: The Tax Lever to Activate as a Priority
The Sustainable Mobility Package (SMP) is currently the main mechanism for monetizing home-to-work trips through carpooling. It covers both the driver and the passenger, with a ceiling that can reach 600 euros per year in the private sector. Payment remains optional on the employer’s side, unless otherwise stipulated by a collective agreement.
We recommend checking with your HR department if a company or sector agreement provides for the SMP. Without this step, daily carpooling via Citygo remains a fuel-saving measure, not a supplementary income. The distinction is significant on an annual budget.
Specifically, for a Citygo trip to be eligible for the SMP, it must be possible to justify the regularity of the carpooling. The trip history in the app serves as proof. Keep your monthly summaries: some employers require a detailed statement before validating reimbursement.
Those looking to better monetize their trips with Citygo must integrate this parameter from the outset, as it transforms a simple cost-sharing arrangement into a structuring tax advantage.
Local Carpooling Aids: Major Discrepancies by Region
Since the end of the national bonus, local authorities have become the main relay for financial incentives. The problem: these schemes vary greatly from one urban area to another, and their sustainability is never guaranteed.
In Aix-Marseille-Provence, a driver can receive up to 3 euros per passenger transported, and the passenger benefits from a free trip. In Occitanie, the region has strengthened its aids in response to rising fuel prices, but the terms differ according to mobility basins. Other regions offer no specific aid for short-distance carpooling.
Before establishing a routine of Citygo trips, we advise consulting your intercommunal or metropolitan website to identify active schemes. Three points to check:
- The amount of the subsidy per trip (driver and passenger, as both are not always covered)
- The monthly or annual ceiling of the aid, which can limit profitability beyond a certain number of trips
- The duration of the scheme, as some aids are experimental and limited to a few months
A driver who combines the employer’s SMP and a local aid on a well-served route can cover almost all of their fuel costs. Without these two levers, the gain remains modest.
Optimizing Driver Profile and Acceptance Rate on Citygo
An incomplete profile halves the chances of finding a regular passenger. On an urban carpooling app like Citygo, trust is built before the first trip. Passengers check ratings, photos, and the number of trips completed before sending a request.
The challenge for a driver who wants to monetize their daily commutes is recurrence. A satisfied passenger who takes the same home-to-work route becomes a regular carpooler, eliminating the time wasted searching for new passengers each morning.
To increase this recurrence rate:
- Publish your recurring trips with fixed schedules rather than wide time slots, as regular passengers seek predictability
- Respond to requests within minutes of receiving them, as responsiveness is the primary selection criterion for passengers
- Accept payment via the app rather than in cash, as this simplifies tracking for the SMP and reassures new users
- Maintain a high rating by being punctual and keeping the vehicle clean, two recurring points in negative reviews
Home-to-Work Carpooling with Citygo: Realistic Calculation of Net Gain
We observe that most articles on carpooling overestimate savings by overlooking incurred costs. A driver who makes a detour of a few kilometers to pick up a passenger consumes more fuel and vehicle wear than their direct route.
The net gain depends on the ratio between the passenger contribution and the actual kilometer excess cost. On a short urban trip (less than 20 km), the amount received per passenger is low. Profitability is not determined by an isolated trip, but by the monthly volume.
A regular driver who transports one or two passengers five days a week accumulates a significant amount over a month. Add the SMP if your employer offers it, and possibly a local aid, and daily carpooling then covers a substantial part of the fuel budget.
On the other hand, an occasional driver who posts irregular trips will not find reliable passengers and will not be able to claim the SMP due to a lack of documented regularity. Profitability on Citygo is proportional to the consistency of the offer.
The choice of the meeting point also impacts the balance. Favor natural transit locations (train stations, metro stations, entrances to business areas) rather than a remote personal address. Less detour means less excess cost, and an accessible meeting point attracts more requests.
The removal of the national bonus has made daily carpooling less automatically profitable. Drivers who truly benefit from Citygo are those who combine a high-demand route, the sustainable mobility package, and local aid when it exists. Without at least two of these three elements, the gain remains marginal on short trips.
