Rouen. This “solidarity garage” needs to donate in order to sell vehicles at low prices to the most disadvantaged
Through Mathieu Normand
Published on
the Solidarauto garage, installed in the activity area of Sotteville-lès-Rouen (Seine-Maritime) throws a call for donations at the end of the year 2021. Associative structure specializing in the sale and rental of used vehicles to people in great difficulty since 2016, it must indeed face a strong demand and an additional difficulty to come: the implementation of the low emission mobility zone (ZFE-m) on the territory of the Metropolis.
“Make sure there is a real need”
The garage does not exist “for the pleasure” of increasing the modal share of the automobile, but “because the need is there”, assures the president of Solidarauto Alain Goussault: “For all service trades that finish late in the evening, security, catering, personal service, there is the obligation to have a vehicle. “He cites for his authorization the results of a social impact study on the fifty or so initial customers.
50% of people found a job in the months that followed thanks to the purchase of the vehicle. 95% of people say it has completely transformed the daily life of the family. There is also a pride in owning a car, of being of service to others and no longer asking them for help.
Operating on an associative basis, the solidarity garage offers vehicles to people prescribed by social workers or Pôle Emploi advisers. “People who come here have 400 or 500 euros to buy a car,” says the president. We want to have a permanent dialogue with the prescriber so as not to put the economy of the applicant’s family in difficulty and to ensure that there is a real need. Despite this filtering, there is a waiting list in the prescriptions. Of around 40 vehicles per year, the association would like to be able to offer 80.
The Solidarauto team is made up of eight people divided between the workshop and the support of the beneficiaries. Applicants are supported to seek all possible aid in order to finalize the purchase up to an average of 2,500 to 3,000 euros. A price range which is explained in particular by a qualitative requirement. “We are committed to delivering vehicles that could run for three years without any repair. “
Request for an exemption for bioethanol
This condition is a guarantee of security, and the assurance of not having to invest significant costs subsequently, as can happen during a low-cost acquisition between individuals. “The number of people who come here, because they have been ripped off on Leboncoin …”, regrets the president. Most of Solidarauto’s cars come from private donations. Businesses and communities are also called upon, but the former now “very often resort to long-term rental” and the latter are slowed down “as soon as we get into the administrative procedures”.
The workshop manager, Stephen Becuwe, accepts or not the vehicles according to a questionnaire filled out by the donors. “We also accept some because we need the parts – lights, headlights, bulbs, doors, etc. – to repair other vehicles at the expense. »The cars accepted, for the most part, correspond to Crit’air 4 or 5 qualifications, which will no longer have access to the ZFE-m in the near future.
Solidarauto therefore wishes to encourage owners of Crit’air 3 or better vehicles to give in order to cope with this situation. The association negotiated with the finance department to provide them with a tax reduction on the value of the vehicle, less the value of the necessary repairs. “We base ourselves on the market value of the vehicle and we make a diagnosis of mechanical repair”, indicates the director of Solidarauto, Alexandre Monnier. “We are often above the usual recovery values”, assures his side Alain Goussault.
Another solution proposed by the Solidarauto team: create an exemption for cars equipped with a converter box allowing to run on bioethanol. “This reduces vehicle pollution by 40%,” says Stephen Becuwe. The housing costs 800 euros pose understand and consumption is 10% higher, but the savings for a large roll can reach 2000 € per year. The association has so far not obtained a response from the Metropolis on this subject.
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