The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) July 2 released a report that describes how the state implemented pilot programs that led to legislation enacting a voluntary vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) program.
After testing a per-mile charging system in two successful pilot programs, Senate Bill 810 was approved in 2013 to establish a Road Usage Charge Program (RUCP). On July 1, 2015, Oregon will accept 5,000 volunteers to participate in the program. Participants will be charged 1.5 cents-per-mile traveled, and will be provided a state gas tax refund for purchases at the pump. The program offers five different methods to collect participants’ mileage, including an alternative to GPS technology that studies odometer readings.
James Whitty, ODOT Manager of the Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding, stated “Oregon is the first to implement a road use charging program, but many states are evaluating how such a system could work for them. This report gives them a viable example, a step-by-step guide for how Oregon designed the system and developed the policy. We hope other states will run with our example and build upon it to maintain our collective highway investment nationwide.”
To read the report, visit: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/RUFPP/Road%20Usage%20Charge%20Program%20Documents/RUCPP%20Final%20Report.pdf.