(The Center Square) – One of the biggest constraints to efforts by Washington state officials to gradually replace the state gas tax with a road usage charge has been privacy concerns around how the miles are tracked.
However, a recent survey conducted by the Washington State Transportation Commission reveals a potential solution to that problem is to have drivers self-report annual mileage, which would not require any phone app or location-tracking device installed in their vehicle.
For the past three years, the WSTC has conducted a federally funded pilot program known as Forward Drive, which is set to conclude at the end of the year. Among the objectives of the program is to test various mileage tracking methods and determine ways to reduce administrative processes.
Comparatively, the state gas tax is far simpler. The tax is automatically collected when gasoline is purchased, requires virtually no overhead to collect, and is very difficult to avoid paying. For the RUC to accurately track mileage and charge vehicle owners accordingly, the program has to know not only how many miles were driven but whether those miles occurred out of state. However, among the top objections to an RUC have been privacy and data security. Additionally, collection of that location data would require greater overhead and administrative burden.
Earlier this year, the WSTC surveyed 1,145 individuals who participated in a simulated online enrollment site. Of those participants, 80% chose to self-report mileage due to the “ease factor of participating,” according to WSTC Executive Director Reema Griffith.
At the Joint Transportation Committee’s Oct. 9 meeting, she told legislators that “people will generally receive positively the ability to simply deduct some miles.”
One of the issues with self-reporting is whether the mileage will have to be verified, such as providing a photo of the vehicle’s odometer. According to a WSTC document, “most respondents said they would report accurately (though most also think others would be dishonest).”
Yet, a majority (54%) still expressed concerns around data privacy and security regarding personal information and payment methods. Also, the majority of participants wanted to be able to claim an exemption for out-of-state miles driven, an option made more difficult without location-tracking.
According to the survey, 56% of participants support a transition to an RUC program, with 44% opposed. It represents the strongest support for the concept since a 2017 WSTC survey. Support in the survey for an RUC was strong among those who identified as high-income, liberal, and living in urban parts of Western Washington. A majority (57%) of all participants identified as Democrat. Among the participants identifying as a Republican, 70% were opposed to an RUC.
The WSTC will completed its final report for the Legislature in December.
