Skip to main content

Oregon per-mile charging system launched

The first US pay-per-mile road charging program went into operation in Oregon last week. OReGO is currently limited to 5,000 vehicles statewide; participants will pay 1.5 cents per mile while driving in Oregon and receive a credit on their bill for state gas tax paid at the pump. ODOT is asking participants for feedback and suggestions for improving OReGO along the way. "The doors are now open for Oregonians to enrol their vehicles and test-drive OReGO statewide," said Vicki Berger, chair of Oregon's
July 6, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The first US pay-per-mile road charging program went into operation in Oregon last week.

OReGO is currently limited to 5,000 vehicles statewide; participants will pay 1.5 cents per mile while driving in Oregon and receive a credit on their bill for state gas tax paid at the pump. ODOT is asking participants for feedback and suggestions for improving OReGO along the way.

"The doors are now open for Oregonians to enrol their vehicles and test-drive OReGO statewide," said Vicki Berger, chair of Oregon's Road User Fee Task Force, and a former member of the Oregon House of Representatives who helped pass legislation creating Oregon's new road usage charge program in 2013.

"Enrolling to test-drive OReGO is simple," said Tom Fuller, 5837 Oregon Department of Transportation communications manager.

Drivers can enrol online at myOReGO.org to choose their provider from a choice of three secure mileage reporting options offered by OReGO's trusted private-sector partners, 7977 Azuga, 480 Sanef/IMS and 1984 Verizon Telematics. Once approved, the driver is sent a small reporting device which is plugged into their car.

Drivers can opt for a non-GPS option offered by Sanef/IMS, which includes a basic mileage reporting device that only reports miles driven and fuel consumption, while Azuga and Verizon Telematics also offer GPS-enabled features that can help drivers save time and money.

"Oregon is leading the nation to develop a fairer, more sustainable way to fund road maintenance and improvements," said ODOT director Matthew Garrett.

Several states - including Washington, California, Idaho, Colorado and others - are considering similar pay-by-the-mile road usage charge systems. Oregon has already conducted two pilot projects to test road usage charging, which led the 2013 Legislature to create the OReGO program and launch it statewide with up to 5,000 volunteer vehicles starting on 1 July.

"Oregon and other states know that the gas tax drivers pay at the pump isn't cutting it anymore," said Garrett. "As newer cars squeeze more miles out of each gallon of gas, and more hybrid and all-electric vehicles are sold, paying for road use by the mile instead of by the gallon ensures that everyone pays their fair share - no more, no less," he said.

Related Content

  • April 20, 2016
    Countering falling fuel tax revenue with mileage fees
    Eric G. O’Rear and Wallace E. Tyner look at the benefits of mileage charges and how these might be implemented. Since the early 1900s, taxes on petrol (gasoline) and diesel fuels have been used to finance the construction and maintenance of roadway infrastructure and, in some countries other government spending too. Now, a combination of improved fuel economy, the advent of hybrid and alternative fuelled vehicles and a reluctance in some countries (especially the US) to increase fuel taxes has led to a d
  • October 12, 2016
    D’Artagnan Consulting opens Australian office
    D’Artagnan Consulting, which works with public agencies and private firms to examine and implement sustainable transportation funding, has announced the opening of an office in Victoria during the ITC World Congress. “With the changing profile of road users, and the advent of hybrid, electric and fuel efficient cars, around the world, fuel tax revenues for government bodies and agencies are under increasing pressure,” said Jack Opiola, D’Artagnan’s managing partner/president.
  • July 18, 2012
    Slow moving US road user charging programme
    Bern Grush recently attended the Mileage-Based User Fee Conference in Austin Texas where the fledgling American landscape for Road User Charging is beginning to take shape. When I was a kid I liked to poke sticks into the ants' nests in sidewalk cracks. Ants would scatter in every conceivable direction. They ran in circles, they ran over and through each other. They screamed without logic. I was fascinated.
  • October 31, 2023
    Emovis’ 5-step guide to educating drivers on road usage charging
    If people don’t understand the benefits of road usage charging, then it is unlikely to have public support. Scott Jacobs of Emovis outlines ways in which key messages – particularly on fairness - can be put across