Project: #297 Assessment of Prospective Mileage-Based Fee System to Replace Fuel Taxes for Passenger Vehicles in Pennsylvania Progress Report - Reporting Period Ending: March 31, 2021 Principal Investigator: H. Scott Matthews Status: Completed Start Date: July 1, 2019 End Date: Dec. 31, 2020 Research Type: Applied Grant Type: Research Grant Program: FAST Act - Mobility National (2016 - 2022) Grant Cycle: 2019 Mobility21 UTC Progress Report (Last Updated: March 22, 2021, 5:08 p.m.) % Project Completed to Date: 100 % Grant Award Expended: 100 % Match Expended & Document: 100 USDOT Requirements Accomplishments The goal of this project is a proof of concept of MBUFs in Pennsylvania by fusing various available data sources. What was accomplished under these goals? We made significant progress toward this goal. We did a substantial literature review about what other states have done in the area, and how they have transitioned from pilot projects to programs. We also did an initial assessment for Pennsylvania using data-driven models. Two journal papers were submitted to the 2021 Transportation Research Board (TRB) conference. We have made the aggregate data from our work public via zenodo. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Four graduate student researchers and two undergraduate students were involved in the project. One, Prithvi Acharya, is a PhD student and this project is part of his dissertation. Three MS students in Civil and Environmental Engineering have been doing research for course credit. They are working on automated methods to extract information from highway statistics databases and other sources to streamline the estimation of mileage-based fees needed as revenue neutral substitutes for states. They are also working on processing large inspection data files with odometer readings using Python code which will be open sourced. The two undergraduate students were responsible for the literature review which formed a basis of one of the TRB papers. How have the results been disseminated? If so, in what way/s? We submitted two journal papers to the TRB conference. Impacts Our work in this period helped to form a partnership with Azuga and the Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance (MBUFA), a consortium of state transportation agencies and technology companies interested in promoting MBFs in the USA. As a result, we have submitted several additional proposals with their cooperation. Our interactions with MBUFA have also led to many new contacts in industry and with state DOTs. We expect to continue to leverage these connections in the future to expand the reach of our work. We have submitted several conference abstracts, however due to COVID-19, these conferences were rescheduled. Other As mentioned above, code and aggregate data from this project were made publicly available. Other We created a significant database of vehicle usage in Pennsylvania, which shows ownership, usage, and miles driven over time. We made it publicly available via Zenodo in support of the TRB paper. We supervised a summer course of undergraduate and graduate students at CMU researching the application of connected vehicles technology to help with the transition to MBUFs. Roughly 8 students participated in this project, and each created new research reports. Outcomes New Partners Our work in this period helped to form a partnership with Azuga and the Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance (MBUFA), a consortium of state transportation agencies and technology companies interested in promoting MBUFs in the USA. As a result, we have submitted several additional proposals with their cooperation. Issues No specific issues encountered.