MOBILITY PRICING

Pri¢ing

(defining)

Terms

You've probably seen many phrases being thrown out there interchangeably. Many of them don't seem super obvious. Let's use the information below to understand these terms better.

user pricing

cordon pricing

transport pricing

mobility pricing

road pricing

congestion pricing

network pricing

corridor pricing

Mobility

Pricing

this is a really broad term that's used to refer to different things

Transit Fares

fuel costs

parking fees

car / bike share fees

road / bridge tolls

car insurance

ride-hailing / taxi fares

congestion pricing

User-Pays

Principle?

these terms refer to all the ways a user would pay to get around

This is a principle within Mobility Pricing that relates to how we pay/price. A user pays for how much they use the mobility network.

This can be applied through a blunt mechanism (e.g. 3 zone transit fares, annual insurance costs, fuel costs), or in ways where the price is more reflective of the use (e.g. distance-based insurance, transit fares, road usage charges).

Why do we price mobility?

- Pay for Operations + Maintenance

- Raise revenue

- Generate Profit (private sector)

- Manage the mobility system

Issues with Existing Pricing Principles

01 In recent years, we have separated how much we use from how much we pay. That is, our usage is not as reflective of the costs, as it once was.

For example, the fuel tax does not apply to electric vehicles, but these vehicles still add to congestion.

02 Often, current pricing is applied in ways that do not reflective how much a person uses.

BUS

$3

03 We currently do not pay for many indirect costs of mobility, like greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, congestion and overcrowding, noise, crashes, etc.

If we attempt to target things like congestion and pollution, then prices would need to vary by timing and location.

If the User-Pays principle was applied, pricing would be designed to target these indirect costs of mobility, and this would be implemented in ways described below.

Making sense of

The Systems

There are three types of Road Pricing systems:

Area / Cordon System

A fee is charged for driving into or within a defined boundary area. Sometimes, this is also referred to as a congestion charge.

You probably saw this in the news coverage about Vancouver's proposal.

Corridor System

This system charges a set fee for using a road, bridge, or tunnel to pay for that piece of infrastructure.

The former tolling system on the Port Mann bridge is an example of this.

Network System

This system charges a fee for the use of roads over the entire mobility network, typically measured in terms of distance travelled.

(a brief history)

Metro Van

Mobility Pricing has been discussed many times over the previous decades and features in many regional plans. In some plans, it's been envisioned in a package of other pricing plans.

1993

yeah, we've been talking about doing this for a while.

In 2017, The Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation and TransLink's board set up a Mobility Pricing Independent Commission to study if a pricing system could be implemented in Metro Van to manage congestion, promote fairness, and support investment.

2017/18

2013

Moving in Metro was hosted by Moving in a Livable Region and the SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue to engage the community on 'road pricing' in Metro Vancouver. Community dialogues were held in Fall 2013 with a regional summit in Nov 2013. Final reports were released in Feb 2014.

1993

Metro Vancouver (then Greater Vancouver Regional District) and the Province of BC released Transport 2021: A Long-Range Transportation Plan for Greater Vancouver which endorsed 'road pricing' to reduce congestion, accurately signal user costs, and raise revenue for transportation improvements.

2012

The City of Vancouver approved the Transportation 2040 plan for Vancouver that covers a multi-modal mobility and access improvements throughout the city. Transit financing was also mentioned with 'road pricing' and other mobility pricing tools endorsed.

2011

Metro Vancouver released Metro Vancouver 2040: Shaping Our Future, its Regional Growth Strategy. the strategy requested action of other governments and agencies; in the transportation sector, it calls for the implementation of demand management measures such as user-based pricing.

Use the tool below to learn more. You can download all documents mentioned here in the Resources section.

2014/18

In 2014, the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation released its 10 Year Vision. The Vision outlined funding mechanisms that would help pay for the investments in transportation infrastructure in Metro Vancouver, including mobility pricing.

(unpacking)

Vancouver

You've probably seen the new proposals from the City of Vancouver with the map of an outlined portion of the city centre along with the term 'mobility pricing' or 'transport pricing'. Let's clear some things up.

(super quick)

The Facts

01 Transport Pricing is NOT being implemented in Vancouver just yet.

02 A feasibility study will be undertaken and report back to Council in 2022.

03 City staff will consult with stakeholders, including residents, on the strategy.

04 Collaboration with regional and provincial partners will take place.

05 Protections will be put in place to protect vulnerable groups.

06 Vancouver uses the term 'Transport Pricing' to refer to a charge on vehicles.

(some details)

City Plans

2021

2022

2023

2025

City staff will develop a plan to engage the public in detail

An update with community feedback and more details will be provided to City Council

A transport pricing strategy will go to City Council for a final vote

If approved, transport pricing will be implemented

(from the City)

Reasons

The City wants to reduce traffic during congested times to make other modes of travel more reliable

They want to create more road space for transit and active transportation (i.e. walking + cycling)

They want the revenue from transport pricing to be invested in transit and walking + cycling to increase access

Vancouver is only going to get more crowded; they want to ensure that we can support the demand

They want to address pollution from vehicles and the contribution of GHG emissions from cars to climate change

(let's balance)

Goals + Concerns

goals

we need to act on our GHG footprint

we need to support our growth with infrastructure

we need to de-congest roads + shift modes of travel

concerns

we need to be fair in how we will implement pricing

pricing needs to solve issues rather than replace them

COVID shifted the need for a commute; what now?

Goals

Concerns

(around the world)

Examples

Transport Pricing is not a made-in-BC concept. It is already in place in many places around the world, and we can learn from these examples.

Interactive

Map

North America

Europe

Asia

ASIA

Singapore is Asia's example of studying the deployment of pricing in a geographically constrained jurisdiction. Learn more below.

Singapore

Singapore introduced the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) in 1975 and charged US $1.30 for vehicles entering the central business area between 7:30 and 9:30 am. HOV, buses, and motorcycles were exempted. The scheme was accompanied by expanded bus service. In 1998, the system was phased into Electronic Road Pricing with charges varying by time of day, location, and vehicle type. Currently the charge for entering the central business area varies from zero to US $2 between 7 am and 7 pm on weekdays. Expressways and arterial streets are also charge variable fees based on time of day.

(more info)

Resources

Here are the resources we could get our hands on, including archives of our own work engaging the public on this issue back in 2013. We'll update this section as much as possible.

(browse through)

Collection

Documents

Videos

2013

Moving in Metro Summit

2018

SFU City Program

(current news)

Media

CBC

News

C

"Mobility Pricing for Vancouver not going anywhere without more political support"

News

1130

N

"Vancouver proposes mobility pricing for city streets"

Vancouver Is Awesome

V

"Mobility Pricing in Vancouver: Port Coquitlam, BC mayor says it's bad policy"

Business in Vancouver

B

"Mobility Pricing shouldn't be off the table, says TransLink CEO"

(chime in)

Feedback

You're going to hear a lot from interested parties in the media about whether this is a good idea. No system is perfect, but our challenges aren't going to disappear and some solutions are better than others.

Feedback submitted

Thank You

If you would like to contact us directly, please email cfd_mlr@sfu.ca

Join our mailing list to stay updated on the latest MLR news.

Pri¢ing

(defining)

Terms

You've probably seen many phrases being thrown out there interchangeably. Many of them don't seem super obvious. Let's use the information below to understand these terms better.

user pricing

cordon pricing

transport pricing

mobility pricing

road pricing

congestion pricing

network pricing

corridor pricing

Mobility

Pricing

this is a really broad term that's used to refer to different things

Transit Fares

fuel costs

parking fees

car / bike share fees

road / bridge tolls

car insurance

ride-hailing / taxi fares

congestion pricing

User-Pays

Principle?

these terms refer to all the ways a user would pay to get around

This is a principle within Mobility Pricing that relates to how we pay/price. A user pays for how much they use the mobility network.

​

This can be applied through a blunt mechanism (e.g. 3 zone transit fares, annual insurance costs, fuel costs), or in ways where the price is more reflective of the use (e.g. distance-based insurance, transit fares, road usage charges).

Why do we price mobility?

- Pay for Operations + Maintenance

- Raise revenue

- Generate Profit (private sector)

- Manage the mobility system

Issues with Existing Pricing Principles

01

In recent years, we have separated how much we use from how much we pay. That is, our usage is not as reflective of the costs, as it once was.

For example, the fuel tax does not apply to electric vehicles, but these vehicles still add to congestion.

02

Often, current pricing is applied in ways that do not reflective how much a person uses.

BUS

$3

03

We currently do not pay for many indirect costs of mobility, like greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, congestion and overcrowding, noise, crashes, etc.

If we attempt to target things like congestion and pollution, then prices would need to vary by timing and location.

If the User-Pays principle was applied, pricing would be designed to target these indirect costs of mobility, and this would be implemented in ways described below.

Making sense of

The Systems

There are three types of Road Pricing systems:

Area / Cordon System

A fee is charged for driving into or within a defined boundary area. Sometimes, this is also referred to as a congestion charge.

You probably saw this in the news coverage about Vancouver's proposal.

Corridor System

This system charges a set fee for using a road, bridge, or tunnel to pay for that piece of infrastructure.

The former tolling system on the Port Mann bridge is an example of this.

Network System

This system charges a fee for the use of roads over the entire mobility network, typically measured in terms of distance travelled.

(a brief history)

Metro Van

Mobility Pricing has been discussed many times over the previous decades and features in many regional plans. In some plans, it's been envisioned in a package of other pricing plans.

1993

yeah, we've been talking about doing this for a while.

2017/18

2013

1993

2012

2011

Use the tool below to learn more. You can download all documents mentioned here in the Resources section.

2014/18

(unpacking)

Vancouver

You've probably seen the new proposals from the City of Vancouver with the map of an outlined portion of the city centre along with the term 'mobility pricing' or 'transport pricing'. Let's clear some things up.

(super quick)

The Facts

01

Transport Pricing is NOT being implemented in Vancouver just yet.

02

A feasibility study will be undertaken and report back to Council in 2022.

03

City staff will consult with stakeholders, including residents, on the strategy.