A new report by the California State Transportation Agency, with input from Caltrans, says vehicles’ ever-increasing fuel efficiency is limiting the revenue raised by the per-gallon gas tax, and that other means of funding roads need to be considered. The California Road Charge Pilot Program report was put together to analyze alternative ways to raise the needed revenue.
The report considers four key factors:
- Feasibility – The viability of recording and reporting of vehicle miles traveled for a statewide road charge system.
- Complexity – The degree of difficulty of implementing a statewide road charge system.
- Security – Ensuring the safeguarding of personally identifiable information and data in a statewide road charge system.
- Acceptability – Surveying the acceptability of a road charge as an alternative to the gas tax.
Potential challenges to any such system include data security; enforcement and compliance; and the user experience, or how easy or difficult the system will be for the public.
Among the opportunities for tech companies would be the use of third-party vendors, or “account managers,” to provide the necessary services and technologies used to record and report miles driven.
“The formation of a technology collaborative, with representatives from the public and private sector, will ensure the latest technology will be considered in the formation and development of a road charge program, providing the framework for future evolution of the program,” the report says.
According to Tribune News Service, Caltrans Deputy Director Carrie Pourvahidi said the state will send out a request early next year to technology companies for ideas on a simple communication system at gas stations or electric charging stations that can instantly tell how many miles the car has driven.
Tribune News Service contributed to this report.