UTCM Studies on Mileage Fees
Study Underway
Use of Performance Measurement to Include Air Quality and Energy into Mileage-Based User Fees
Mohamadreza Farzaneh, Richard T. Baker and Ginger Goodin
01.01.10 - 01.31.12
Vehicle mileage fees are one of the leading mechanisms being studied as a potential replacement for the fuel tax. Research entities such as the Transportation Research Board have endorsed them as the most promising solution to long term transportation funding concerns. Domestic pilots, such as Oregon's Mileage Fee Concept and Road User Pilot Program, have shown that they can be developed and implemented with a high degree of reliability and public acceptability. These types of fee systems, which would levy a fee on the miles driven, can be used to achieve multiple policy goals; however, as currently evaluated, fee structures incorporate a limited set of policy oriented factors. Pricing has been set to generate revenue and shift travel to off-peak periods, but not many other potential policy goals have been explored. For example, none of the completed or ongoing pilot studies have attempted to implement a pricing regime that incorporates environmental mitigation, minimizes the social equity impacts of transportation, or attempts to accurately capture and recover the cost of maintenance and operations. This proposed research presents the first step toward a pricing framework based on the concept of performance measurement that systematically defines and incorporates potential air quality goals. Researchers will define the interactive role of user fees and pricing in roadway transportation operations and will identify air quality performance measures for determining the appropriate vehicle mileage fee price. This framework will be invaluable in more effectively monitoring the air quality and greenhouse gas reduction and mitigation performance of vehicle mileage fee systems.
Completed Studies
The 2011 Mileage-Based User Fee Symposium
Project Title: "Mileage-Based User Fee Symposium" (11-00-64)
Ginger Goodin, Nicholas Wood, and Richard T. Baker
[PDF, 1.0M, 26 pages]
09.30.11
The fuel tax is rapidly losing its ability to support system needs. Federal environmental regulations and the escalating price of fossil fuels have created a strong incentive to develop and utilize more fuel-efficient vehicles, which will drive down fuel tax revenues relative to use of the nation's roadway network. Given the challenges associated with the declining sustainability of the fuel tax, the likely successor is a road user fee largely based on actual usage. This project sponsored the third annual two-day Symposium on Mileage-Based User Fees that brought together professionals in the field of mileage-based fees for the purpose of sharing information on current applications and exploring their potential as a supplement or replacement for the fuel tax.
Mileage-Based User Fees – Defining a Path Toward Implementation (Phase 2)
This project was the second of a two-phase research effort composed of three interrelated components: 1) a technology assessment, 2) an institutional assessment, and 3) a one-day implementation-focused symposium. Each component builds from the mileage-based user fee framework developed with funding in 2008 from the University Transportation Center for Mobility™ (see the first report on this page). Reports on the technology assessment and the instituional assessment appear below.
Report Part 1: An Assessment of Technology Issues
Michael Bomberg, Richard T. Baker and Ginger Goodin
[PDF, 1.5M, 41 pages]
10.23.2009
This report reviews technology options for a mileage-based user fee system in the state of Texas. The report assesses the range of possible mileage-based user fee system architectures. These architectures are considered at the logical level (i.e., the flow and transformation of information from raw data describing roadway use to an end bill) with the goal of demonstrating how the process flow of each architecture affects its ability to meet key policy objectives. The report also explores issues related to payment, enforcement, the deployment of on-board units in vehicles, and the potential for technology enabling a mileage-based user fee to be a platform for other value-added services. Finally, the report concludes by identifying key policy questions for Texas that must be addressed before pilot programs can be developed.
Report Part 2: An Assessment of Institutional Issues
Ginger Goodin, Richard T. Baker and Lindsay Taylor
[PDF, 814K, 69 pages]
12.02.2009
This document covers the institutional assessment portion of the research effort. It was conducted in conjunction with the technology assessment and involved the study of various user fee frameworks in place throughout the United States and an analysis of the various institutional issues to be considered with mileage-based user fee development, implementation and eventual administration. This report is meant to serve as a tool for policy makers and other interested parties who are considering mileage-based user fees as a potential means of generating transportation related funding and wish to gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding them.
Mileage-Based User Fees – Defining a Path toward Implementation (Phase 1: Identifying a Research Strategy)
Richard T. Baker and Ginger Goodin
[PDF, 434K, 25 pages]
11.30.09
This project was the first of a two-phase research effort composed of three interrelated components: 1) a technology assessment, 2) an institutional assessment, and 3) a one-day implementation-focused symposium. Each component builds from the mileage-based user fee framework developed with funding in 2008 from the University Transportation Center for Mobility™ (see the first report on this page). This report documents initial progress on these three activities through February 2009.
Feasibility of Mileage-Based User Fees: Application in Rural/Small Urban Areas of Northeast Texas
Richard Baker, Ginger Goodin, Eric Lindquist and David Shoemaker
[PDF, 598K, 57 pages]
10.31.2008
This study explores the application of mileage-based user fees, or vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) fees, as an alternative to the fuel tax in rural and small urban areas. The purpose of the study is to identify the issues associated with implementation of a potential new transportation funding system so that public and political concerns in rural communities can be addressed.
UTCM Transportation Finance Website
A Guide to Transportation Funding Options
http://utcm.tamu.edu/tfo
This website serves as a resource to decision-makers. It simply and clearly spells out the options that are available across all transportation modes and all levels of government. It is meant to be a quick reference.
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