MBUF Pilot Project

Pennsylvania is a member of The Eastern Transportation Coalition. The Coalition, formerly known as the I-95 Corridor Coalition, is a partnership of 17 states and the District of Columbia that is advancing the national conversation around mileage-based user fees through real-world pilot programs, education, and outreach.

Pennsylvania was recently featured in a study.

The unique characteristics of the Eastern U.S. — such as significant cross-state travel, numerous toll facilities, and several major truck corridors — make it a natural testing ground for the potential challenges of implementing a MBUF system nationally.

The Coalition is neutral regarding MBUF as the ultimate solution for transportation funding but wants to ensure the voices of citizens along the Eastern U.S. are part of the national discussion.

Click here to access its most recent study and findings.

Studying Mileage-Based User Fees in Pennsylvania

To better understand how to move beyond the gas tax, we started working with The Eastern Transportation Coalition (TETC), a coalition of 17 states and D.C. studying how a mileage-based user fee (MBUF) could affect Eastern U.S. states.

In 2018, we kicked off our first study with TETC. Since then, we have completed three phases of MBUF work with TETC, including pilots with more than 500 Pennsylvanians, public opinion surveys of about 1,000 Pennsylvanians, and a geographic equity analysis of Pennsylvania households. These studies have been important to understanding how an MBUF could affect drivers in our state.

2020-2021: Expanding the Exploration of MBUF

Key Takeaways:

• Depending on how rates are set, rural drivers in Pennsylvania may fare better with MBUF than they do with the gas tax.
• Real-world pilots reduce privacy concerns for Pennsylvania drivers.

2019: Adding the Public's Voice

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots help close knowledge gaps about transportation funding by providing real-world experiences about how the transportation system is funded.
• In general, Pennsylvanians like a pay for what you use model, but they have misperceptions about MBUF's fairness toward some vehicles.

2018-2019: Bringing the Trucking Industry to the Table

Key Takeaways:

• Bringing the trucking industry's voice to the conversation is essential.
• Trucks cannot simply be treated as big cars in an MBUF system.

2018: Starting the Conversation

Key Takeaways:

• GPS-enabled MBUF technologies can accurately record miles driven and the amount of fuel used, and can also differentiate this information by state.
• Administrative and compliance costs can be incorporated into a per-mile MBUF rate.

TROC Report

The Transportation Revenue Options Committee reported in 2021 that MBUF presently appears to be among the best long-term funding solution for Pennsylvania, and likely for all or most states.

The TROC report proposed a long-term Commonwealth commitment to positioning and preparing for MBUF by vigorously encouraging supportive federal action, raising public awareness and support, and beginning to lay the groundwork for the technological and other implementation components.