The Oregon Department of Transportation tested a system to collect a vehicle-based mileage fee as a replacement for the Oregon gas tax. Devices based on the Global Positioning System were installed on participating vehicles to determine the location and time of vehicle travel. The only information collected was vehicle mileage by location and time category. Midway through the study, vehicles were assigned to one of three groups: control, vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and peak hour. The VMT group was charged a flat fee per mile traveled that approximated the amount of the state gas tax then paid by the average vehicle and was given a credit for the amount of gas tax included in the purchase. The peak hour group was charged a higher mileage fee during peak periods and given a discount on the mileage fee outside the peak times or peak zones. The control group continued to pay the price, including gas tax at the pump, as before. The VMT group showed a reduction in total mileage relative to the control group, and survey responses indicated that people did change their behavior even though there was little price differential. However, this change might have developed because of being in an experiment. The peak hour group showed about a 20% reduction in travel during peak periods relative to the VMT group. This reduction appeared to be due to the pricing system, because factors other than the congestion price differential were likely to affect each group similarly.
Responses to Oregon's Experiment in Road Pricing
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
2008-01-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Responses to Oregon's Experiment in Road Pricing
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