• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Jobs
  • Pressroom
  • MyTTI
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SlideShare
  • RSS

Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Saving Lives, Time and Resources.

  • About TTI
    • Overview
    • Academic Partners
    • Advisory Council
    • Hall of Honor
    • History
    • Sponsors
    • Participate in Research
  • Focus Areas
    • Connected Transportation
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Freight
    • Human Interaction
    • Infrastructure
    • Mobility
    • Planning and Operations
    • Policy
    • Safety
    • Security
    • Workforce Development
  • Facilities
    • Connected Transportation
    • Infrastructure
    • Safety
    • Environment
    • Traffic Operations
    • Maps
  • Home
  • Centers
    • National
    • State
    • Research Internships
  • People
    • People Search
    • Directory
    • Featured Researchers
    • TTI Staff External Awards and Committees
  • Publications
    • Catalog Search
    • Texas Transportation Researcher
Home » Projects » Featured Projects » Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Fees Study

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Fees Study

TTI Researchers talk about innovative research projects in transportation
finance.

The researchers’ primary recommendation to help alleviate public concerns was to demonstrate the logic and sustainability of mileage fees through an electric vehicle implementation.

What's the problem?

Whether or not the state fuel tax can continue to provide sufficient funding for transportation development and maintenance has recently become an issue of much concern. The tax, as it is currently levied, generates revenue in proportion to fuel consumption, not actual use of the system. As vehicle fuel efficiency and use of alternative-fuel vehicles increases, the fuel tax system will not be a reasonable proxy for road use.

What did this project address?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate vehicle mileage fees as a possible funding mechanism for meeting long-term transportation needs in Texas. Also referred to as vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) fees, mileage-based user fees (MBUF), and time/distance/place (TDP) charging, this approach charges a fee based on each mile driven. This research represents an effort on the part of the State of Texas to evaluate these fee mechanisms with a particular focus on the specific needs of the state. Researchers held multiple focus groups with the general public. They also conducted stakeholder interviews and consulted technology experts that reviewed public input on possible deployment options.

Conclusions

Results indicated that most Texans are not supportive of mileage fees and that the public is unclear about how transportation funding works in Texas. It appears that concerns about privacy, administration, and enforcement will be difficult to overcome. The researchers’ primary recommendation to help alleviate public concerns was to demonstrate the logic and sustainability of mileage fees through an electric vehicle implementation. The research confirmed a consensus that applying a mileage fee to vehicles like these, which do not pay fuel taxes, makes the most sense for near term implementation. Graphic displaying VMT usage

Project Title

Exploratory Study: Vehicle Mileage Fees in Texas

Project Number

0-6660

Project Sponsor(s)

Texas Department of Transportation

Project Category

Economics & Policy

Project Termination Date

July 2010

Project Publications

  • Exploratory Study: Vehicle Mileage Fees in Texas (Final Report)
  • Is Texas Ready for Mileage Fees?: A Briefing Paper

For More Information

Ginger Goodin, P.E.

Senior Research Engineer
Interdisciplinary Research Group – TTI - Austin, Room 49005
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
505 E Huntland Dr., Suite 455
Austin, TX 78752
Ph. (512) 407-1114
g-goodin@tamu.edu

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • The State of Texas
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • State Expenditure Database
  • Statewide Search
  • State Auditor’s Office Hotline
  • TAMUS Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline
  • Site Policies
  • Open Records Policy
  • Statutorily Required Reports
  • TTI Rules
  • Veterans
  • Equal Opportunity
  • COVID-19 Info
  • Jobs
Member of the Texas A&M University System

© 2023 Copyright Statement / Legal Notices and Policies

Comments, suggestions, or queries? Contact us!

Texas A&M Transportation Institute · 3135 TAMU · College Station, Texas 77843-3135

(979) 317-2000