The BC government is shifting gears on the AirCare program with a plan to phase out tailpipe testing of light cars and trucks at the end of 2014 in favour of focusing on heavy-duty diesel vehicles.

Environment Minister Terry Lake said newer cars run much cleaner than the vehicles being made when the AirCare testing program began in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in 1992.

"With new technology in cars, what we're seeing is the incremental benefits to the airshed are smaller and smaller," he said Thursday.

Lake said the transportation and environment ministries will work to identify other classes of vehicles that haven't been covered by AirCare and find ways to reduce their emissions.

Drivers of newer cars currently pay $46 dollars to have their vehicles tested by AirCare every two years, while owners of older vehicles pay $23 each year. The government says the two-year fee will be reduced in 2014 to make it fair for drivers needing an inspection in the final year of the program.

Lake calls the fees a significant cost to families.

"When governments have programs that are in place, I think it's responsible to say 'Okay, have we achieved the objective?' and if we have, let's phase that out and look at other areas where we can make some better improvements to those objectives," he said.

The Metro Vancouver regional district passed a bylaw in January aimed at reducing emissions from backhoes, excavators, forklifts and other diesel-powered machines.

"Addressing major sources of contamination, and diesel particulates is certainly . . .key to managing and improving air quality," said Metro Vancouver chair Greg Moore.

He said working with the provincial government to reduce emissions from heavy-duty vehicles is the next step in that process.

The BC Government and Service Employees' Union, which represents 114 workers at AirCare stations, said the government's decision on AirCare will lead to more pollution and fewer jobs.

"AirCare helps everyone breathe easier, so we welcome the decision to introduce heavy-duty vehicle testing,", said union president Darryl Walker.

"But AirCare is more cost-effective in removing pollutants from the atmosphere than any other transportation-based measure, so why would you scrap light vehicle testing in 2014?"

AirCare costs about $19 million to run each year.

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