Direct user charges in the form of mileage-based user charges are the most viable and sustainable long-term "user pay" option for the federal government to raise adequate and appropriate revenues to provide the federal share of funding for the system. Both real-world examples and academic research demonstrate that VMT fee systems have the capacity not only to raise needed revenues but also to provide additional benefits, including more efficient use of transportation infrastructure, reduced environmental and social externalities, and ancillary benefits to users in the form of information for drivers. Critically, a VMT fee system is the only option the Commission evaluated that, in addition to raising revenues, could actually reduce the amount of necessary additional capacity by improving the efficiency of current capacity use.
A transition from federal motor fuel taxes to a federal VMT fee system will present numerous political, technical, and technological challenges that will require broad stakeholder input throughout. These challenges, however, should not deter policy makers from committing to a paradigm shift and an aggressive course of action to implement a VMT-based charge system. Recommendations for specific congressional actions to facilitate this transition are included in Chapter 8.
States and localities also could choose to implement their own VMT-based charges, saving on administrative costs by piggybacking on the national system. And to meet more immediate funding demands, to the extent they wish to do so, states and localities are able to use direct tolling and pricing options, including conventional tolling as well as congestion and cordon pricing approaches to address urban congestion challenges. The primary federal role in furthering state and local governments' ability to use these techniques consists of limiting restrictions on their use and facilitating and encouraging states and localities to experiment where appropriate. Also, given the experience many states and localities already have implementing pricing and tolling options, Congress will need to address interoperability concerns quickly lest states or regions implement equipment and technologies that will be incompatible and not easily retrofitted to any future national VMT-based charge technologies.
While the initial investment of capital-financial, intellectual, and political-needed in the transition to a VMT-based system may be significant, the Commission unanimously agrees that this is the best path forward. A VMT-based charge system is the best option for raising the revenues the nation needs and supporting the national policy goals to which we aspire.