Oklahoma is the latest U.S. state to explore the potential of pay-per-mile in collaboration with Emovis, one of the world’s leading providers of sustainable toll-based mobility solutions. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently announced a six-month, pay-per-mile pilot progam called Fair Miles Oklahoma that will launch in July. The Oklahoma state legislature mandated the study in 2021 as guidance for future policy changes.

The rise in consumer adoption of fuel-efficient vehicles is a positive development for public health and the environment. However, it also has an impact on highway funding that is largely reliant on federal and state gasoline taxes. Emovis’ pay-per-mile solution helps to offset the decline in revenue from the growing number of fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads. This ensures all vehicle owners contribute fairly to tax revenue.

“To maintain funding for roads and bridge maintenance and construction, Oklahoma is one of many states proactively exploring a pay-per-mile program that could replace the current fuel tax model in the future,” said Dawn Sullivan, ODOT Deputy Director. “Participation in this study provides Oklahoma drivers the opportunity to be part of Oklahoma’s transportation future.”

As part of the pilot, Oklahoma will be able to assess the benefits and identify potential hurdles. Drivers who volunteer to be part of the pilot through the Fair Miles Oklahoma website will have  several Mileage Reporting Options (MRO), including  an on-board device (OBD-II)  and telematics (if provided by the vehicle manufacturer). The pilot will involve project management, implementation, participant onboarding, mileage collection, account management, reporting and data analysis.

Upon completion of the pilot, ODOT will draft a comprehensive report for state lawmakers, which will describe the results and lessons learned for future policy decisions.

Oklahoma joins four other states that have previously rolled out the Emovis pay-per-mile solution: Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

“Our partnership with Oklahoma is further validation of Emovis’ continued leadership in pay-per-mile programs in the United States,” said Christian Barrientos, CEO of Abertis Mobility Services. “We look forward to assisting the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and its consultants in evaluating pay-per-mile as the state continues to be at the forefront of national transportation solutions.”

About Oklahoma Department of Transportation

ODOT is an innovative and responsive leader in the transportation field and is accountable in meeting the transportation needs of citizens, business, and industry in the safest, most proficient manner possible.

The agency manages more than 12,000 center-lane miles and nearly 6,800 bridges with resources primarily funded by motor vehicle fuel taxes, state appropriations, and federal transportation funds. ODOT also aggressively competes for federal grants.

For 20 years, ODOT has worked from an 8-Year Construction Work Plan, dedicating resources to the state’s most critical infrastructure needs. The first plan focused on structurally deficient bridges. Since then, Oklahoma’s bridge ranking jumped from one of the worst states to one of the best. While ODOT continues its work on bridges, its current work plan includes adding or enhancing safety shoulders on more than 1,000 rural, two-lane highways and improving more than 4,000 lane miles of highway pavement to a state of good repair.