Washington Pay-By-Mile Pilot Program Approved
12 Mar 2015The state of Washington is considering replacing the gas tax with a pay per mile driven on public roads tax.
As a result of a new pay-by-mile pilot program in the works, people driving in Washington State may end up paying the state on a per-mile basis. The state previously implemented a gas tax, but since electric and hybrid vehicles were reducing revenue, regulators have decided to try charging per mile. This comes after the Washington State Transportation Commission approved the pilot project to be started soon.
The pilot program in question will use a GPS tracking device in a person’s vehicle. The device will track the miles the or she drives. There will be a per-mile charge, called a Road Usage Charge, which will completely replace the state’s gas tax if the pilot program is successful. The testing is set to start in 2016, utilizing GPS tracking technology.
While it has already received preliminary approval, and if all goes well, the state legislature must then approve the Road Usage Charge for all residents. Residents of Washington would not have the requirement of a GPS tracking device in their vehicle until 2017 at the very soonest.
This pilot program is being modelled after one that is currently happening in Oregon. The system is meant to help pay for their local roads. In the past, the state relied on what they earned through the gas tax, but that revenue has started running low with the number of energy efficient vehicles local residents drive.
Charles Royer, a member of Washington’s Transportation Commission, was asked by lawmakers to come up with another solution for helping to pay for roads. Royer, who was previously the mayor of Seattle, believes the best solution is to give drivers an option of how their driving mileage is monitored.
The four options they are currently considering are having a GPS tracker in their car, paying a flat fee, using a smartphone tracking app, or reporting their odometer readings to the state. If driver are charged a fee for the miles they drive, they would still get credit for gas taxes they have already paid.
Royer made sure residents understand that they are not trying to monitor drivers’ activity or know where they are going and when. This simply want to know how many miles they are driving while on public roads. They are also looking into ways to monitor the miles they drive that is not related to GPS tracking for people who are concerned about their privacy.
Editorial Note: we do not approve any of this! It is just not right…Here in California we pay nearly 70 cents for every gallon of gas purchased at the pump in the form of a gas tax. Stop the madness Politicians across America!
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