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    Latest Mineta Transportation Institute survey finds 51 percent of Americans support pollution-emission based mileage fee to raise transportation revenue

    May 21, 2024
    MTI’s 15th annual survey that explores public support for raising transportation revenue through higher federal gas taxes or a new mileage fee shows a majority of respondents supported replacing the federal gas tax with a mileage fee.
    Mineta Transportation Institute
    The latest Mineta Transportation Institute survey finds 51 percent of Americans support pollution-emission based mileage fee to raise transportation revenue.
    The latest Mineta Transportation Institute survey finds 51 percent of Americans support pollution-emission based mileage fee to raise transportation revenue.

    Results from Mineta Transportation Institute’s (MTI) 15th annual survey that explores public support for raising transportation revenue through higher federal gas taxes or a new mileage fee show that a majority of respondents (51 percent) supported replacing the federal gas tax with a mileage fee where the rate would vary according to the vehicle’s pollution emissions. 

     “Public support for a mileage fee depends on the details of how the fee is structured,” said Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD, one of the study’s authors. “More than half of respondents supported not only the pollution-rate mileage fee, but also a new ‘Business Road-Use Fee’ that would be charged to delivery and freight trucks (58 percent) or to taxis and ride-hailing vehicles (53 percent). By contrast, the least popular mileage fee option was a flat-rate fee on all travel. Support for this option was only 39 percent.” 

    “We have also seen support for implementing a mileage fee on all travel increase over time,” said Hilary Nixon, PhD, one of the study’s authors. “Support for the flat-rate mileage fee grew from just 22 percent in 2010 to 39 percent in 2024. Similarly, support for the pollution-rate version grew from 33 percent in 2010 to 51 percent in 2024.” 

    The survey also found the majority of respondents supported lower mileage-fee rates for low-income drivers, as almost two-thirds (64 percent) supported this option. 

    The survey also assessed public knowledge about federal gas taxes and support for the idea of raising the federal gas tax rate by $0.10 per gallon. Key findings include: 

    • Only two percent of respondents knew that the federal gas tax rate has not been raised in more than 20 years. 
    • Almost three-quarters of respondents supported raising the gas tax rate if the revenue would be dedicated to maintaining streets and highways (74 percent support). In contrast, far fewer respondents supported the same gas tax increase if the revenue were spent for undefined “transportation” purposes. 
    • Support for raising the federal gas tax has risen since 2010. 

     MTI says the survey data for the study was collected from a nationally representative sample of 2,522 adults living in the United States. Respondents completed the online survey in February and March 2024.