Volunteer Drivers Sought To Participate In Mileage Fee Pilot Program

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Officials sought 5,000 volunteer drivers Wednesday to participate in a multi-year mileage fee pilot program.

The California Road Charge Pilot Program -- which will charge motorists a fee based on how far they drive instead of the amount of gasoline they consume -- was established in response to a statewide bill (SB 1077) that Gov. Brown signed, requiring for city officials to design an experimental program to study all aspects of road charging.

Officials explained many drivers are currently paying less gas tax as vehicles become more fuel efficient. This subsequently continues to reduce the amount of money that is used for fixing roads.

At this time, the state gas tax is not able to generate enough funding to repair all California roadways, which spans across 50,000 miles.

According to the Los Angeles Times, there is a chance that the program could replace the state gas tax as a way to fund highway repairs and maintenance.

Volunteer drivers will not be charged any out-of-pocket costs to participate in the program. Each participant will be able to choose between one of five mileage reporting methods that regulators will be testing.

For more information about the program, click here.