Half (49%) of the British public would support a switch to pay-as-you-drive road pricing as an alternative to fuel duty and road tax.

The survey shows that public concerns about road pricing can be overcome

A new report by the Campaign for Better Transport surveyed over 3,000 people, of whom less than a fifth (18%) opposed the idea of road pricing.

The survey also found that three out of five people (60%) believe vehicle taxation needs reforming. And support for reform grew among those surveyed by eight percentage points (from 41% to 49%) once they were presented with options for how such a scheme could be delivered, showing that some initial concerns around road pricing can be overcome.

Campaign for Better Transport said the research shows that rather than being an unacceptable concept, road pricing can be seen by the majority of people as a fair solution and one that could save most drivers money.

The report found that people thought a well-designed pay-as-you-drive system would be a fairer and more transparent way to tax motoring because it would include EV drivers and could ensure people who drive less, pay less.

Those polled thought that a scheme which included measures such as a tax-free mileage allowance would enable targeted tax cuts to specific groups, such as those who have to drive for work, and would mean people who live in places where there are no public transport alternatives wouldn’t be unfairly penalised, either through a higher tax-free allowance or being charged a lower rate.

A pay-as-you-drive scheme would have the added benefit of bringing an immediate tax cut to drivers with the removal of VAT on fuel duty.

Silviya Barrett, head of research at Campaign for Better Transport and author of the report, said: “Our research found that many of the common concerns around road pricing, things like protecting people’s privacy and not penalising people who need to drive, can be overcome with a well-designed pay-as-you-drive scheme. In fact, support for road pricing increased among the survey group over the course of the research once the scheme was fully explained, proving that public concerns about road pricing can be overcome.”

Campaign for Better Transport’s report concludes that a pay-as-you-drive system could progress in stages from a pilot for electric vehicles, to replacing fuel duty and vehicle excise duty with a fully ‘smart’ scheme with a varied pricing structure, which would replace any pre-existing local road charging schemes and provide the ability for people to opt out and pay a higher set annual charge instead.

The campaign group is now calling on the Government to establish a cross-party commission before the next general election to help secure agreement on the case for reform and potentially have a pay-as-you-drive scheme ready for implementation by 2025.

To access its report, click here.