The state of Oregon Department of Transportation(ODOT) is getting closer to implementing a volunteer program where EV and hybrid car owners pay a toll “OReGO road usage charge of 1.5 cents per mile.” The program will launch on July 1 with 5,000 volunteers.
The volunteer program, called OReGO will offer volunteers their choice of secure mileage reporting options offered by OReGO’s private-sector partners. A contract is rewarded to IMS DriveSync and Sanef ITF to provide a reporting option.
Sanef ITS America has successfully deployed toll projects throughout the Americas and around the world.
IMS telematics and wireless technology is deployed for insurance, government, fleets and drivers.
The IMS website shows a device that will connect to the OBDII port of the vehicles. The device will relay information to the ODOT. IMS provides the data cloud, support and system integration.
Oregon’s Senate Bill 810 was the first legislation in the U.S. to establish a road usage charge system for state transportation funding.
Volunteers will get a credit on their bill to offset the fuel tax they pay at the pump. Data is secure and private.
Other providers of tracking for toll taxes are Verizon Telematics and fleet tracking company Azuga.
Verizon Telematics will use the In-Drive system with a connected OBDII device and offer discounts oninsurance, roadside assistance and other services. This service is different from the newly announced Verizon Vehicle service.
Participants in OReGO with the GPS-enabled option are not charged for out-of-state road usage.
The Sanef IMS device tracks mileage, but does not include a GPS. With this system, the user pays for all miles driven, whether they in-state or out-of -state. Users can opt to forgo the mileage trackers and pay a higher flat rate.
Debuting on Oregon’s roadways in July 2015, this distance-based road usage charging program is North America’s first implementation of a mileage-based charging solution.
A calculator on the OReGO website shows the tax scenarios for different charges on cars calculate by MPG and miles driven per month.
ODOT is making the road charging framework available to other states and Canadian provinces.