California Is Testing A Road Tax Based On Miles Driven. We Answered Some Of Your Questions

California is considering replacing the gas tax with a more sustainable source of transportation funding, and LAist’s readers and listeners had a lot of questions about the pilot program.

We have answers to some of your most common concerns, but remember, the road charge is an idea that’s still being explored and developed. The pilot program is a way for your opinion to shape if, and how, it’s implemented, so these responses will likely change to reflect the results.

Lauren Prehoda, the Caltrans program manager, told LAist that if you hate the idea of a road charge or are worried about how it’ll work, you should still sign up to participate in the program.

“We want to hear from everyone,” she said.

So let’s get into answering your questions…

Is the state charging the same amount for large trucks as it does for small cars?

Janice Cimbalo asked LAist if the program considers the size of a vehicle. Prehoda said it depends on which rate group you end up in for this year’s pilot.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups — a fixed rate per mile where everyone will pay the same, or an individualized rate per mile that is based on the vehicle’s miles per gallon fuel economy.

“So one rate group, yes, whatever kind of car you own, you're going to be charged 2.8 cents per mile for that rate group,” Prehoda said. “For the other rate group, though, it's really going to depend on what kind of car you drive, because the rate that the legislature sets for that group is based on the energy rating of your vehicle.”

Basically, she said your car will have its own rate based on how fuel-efficient the vehicle is for this pilot. However, in general, she said the state has been looking at one rate for all passenger vehicles “so that everyone is paying the same to use the road.”

What about rural drivers and people with long commutes?

In response to Alberto Plantilla’s inquiry on Threads, Prehoda said the state has done a lot of research into this “really important” question, some of which you can find here.

She said rural drivers, on average, are actually going to save money with a road charge because they tend to drive less fuel-efficient vehicles.

“So what that means is, right now, under the gas tax, they are paying more than their urban counterparts to use the road,” Prehoda said. “So switching to a road charge potentially brings that into balance, and they would end up paying less.”

She added that they’re trying to engage with these drivers directly and the last road charge pilot specifically focused on rural and tribal communities.

How does the program account for miles driven out-of-state? 

John Shilling, who lives in South Lake Tahoe and regularly travels to Nevada, asked LAist how the pilot program keeps track of the number of miles driven in neighboring states.

Prehoda said it depends on which option you choose for the pilot.

There’s three choices available for reporting miles — you can keep it simple and upload a picture of your odometer each month, you can have a device shipped to your home that plugs into the vehicle and shares GPS location data, or you can set up vehicle telematics in newer models that have a connected account through Tesla, BMW, Hyundai, and other manufacturers.

If you’re comfortable sharing your location data and select that option, Prehoda said the program will be able to tell where you’re driving, so you won’t be charged for miles driven outside California.

But if you end up relying on the odometer, or the vehicle telematics doesn’t share that information, she said they'll have to assume all the miles were driven in California, and you’ll be charged accordingly.

“So it really ends up being what works best for you,” Prehoda said. “If you feel like, you know, you're driving out of state a lot, then you might want to choose that option that determines which state you're in, but if you don't like the idea of sharing your location information, that's OK, too. You can choose one of the other options, it's totally up to you.”

Have more questions?

If you’re wondering what a road charge would look like for you and your vehicle, you can use Caltrans’ calculator for an estimate.

And if you have more pressing questions or concerns, you can connect with the program directly here.

“We answer all those questions, and we keep a record of all the questions and feedback that people send us, even the ones full of four-letter words,” Prehoda said.