The education of OReGO

June 19, 2015 | OReGO Communications

June is a time for celebration as students throughout the country don caps and gowns for graduation ceremonies. Graduation marks the culmination of years of hard work, learning and testing to gain the knowledge needed to be successful out in the real world. Even after crossing the stage with diploma in hand, our education never truly ends. Learning is a lifelong process of trial, error and refinement to better ourselves.

OReGO also graduates on July 1, marking another step in developing a fair and sustainable transportation funding system for Oregonians.

OReGO’s launch of a statewide test drive represents the culmination of more than 14 years of road usage charge research, development and testing in Oregon.

In 2001, the Oregon Legislature formed the Road User Fee Task Force to explore new ways of funding maintenance needs and improvements to our transportation system. After reviewing funding alternatives, the task force tested Oregon’s first road usage charge pilot program in 2007. The pilot used a pay-at-the-pump model run by ODOT. Many participants found the system difficult to use and wanted more choices in recording options. The users spoke; ODOT listened and learned.

ODOT ran a second pilot in 2012, with 88 participants from Oregon, Washington and Nevada. The second pilot included new features requested by users. For example, it had additional security measures to protect personal information and offered options for mileage recording and account management.

In the two pilot projects, ODOT sought to understand public concerns about road usage charging. We’ve worked to address these concerns and added new features that will help you save time and effort.

OReGO’s graduation from pilot projects to a statewide test drive isn’t the first step, nor the last, in building a fair, sustainable way to pay for our roads. We’ll keep learning from your personal experiences to create an equitable and lasting solution that benefits all Oregonians.

Ready to play a part in determining the future of transportation funding in Oregon? Join our Interest List today and be the first in line to participate come July 1.

OReGO: Better roads. Happy Drivers.