What Do Americans Think About Mileage Fees? Results from a National Survey

This paper presents the results of an online public opinion survey asking U.S. adults questions related to their views on mileage fees. A nationally representative sample of 2,515 respondents completed the online survey. The survey tested public opinions about five different mileage fee options: two variants on the idea of replacing the gas tax with a mileage fee, and three variants on the idea of imposing a new fee on commercial travel. The survey also collected data on respondents’ views about privacy and equity matters related to mileage fees, opinion on whether electric vehicles should pay the same or lower rate than internal-combustion-engine vehicles, preferred frequency of paying a mileage fee, and basic questions about travel behavior and sociodemographic characteristics. This large set of variables is used to identify personal characteristics and opinions correlated with support for the tax options. Key findings include that close to half of respondents supported a mileage fee on all travel to replace the gas tax, slightly over half supported a fee assessed just on commercial vehicles, half supported some form of mileage fee, a majority (57%) thought that electric vehicles should pay a lower rate per mile than gas and diesel vehicles, and more than three-quarters would prefer to pay a mileage fee either at the time of buying gas or charging an electric vehicle instead of receiving an annual bill.

• Record URL:
  https://annualmeeting.mytrb.org/OnlineProgram/Details/15451
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AJE50 Standing Committee on Economics, Revenue, and Finance.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Agrawal, Asha Weinstein
  • Nixon, Hilary
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 100th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2021-1-5 to 2021-1-29
• Date: 2021

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Consumers; Electric vehicles; Mileage-based user fees; Public opinion; Taxation; Travel behavior
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01763524
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRBAM-21-03053
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 4 2021 10:54AM