Episode Player
Michigan budget has good news for studying road usage charges
Talking Michigan Transportation
Chapters
0:07
Setting the Stage: Michigan’s RUC Pilot
1:03
Senator Kleinfeld’s Path and Perspective
2:39
Funding Realities and Equity Rationale
5:11
Privacy Fears and Replacing the Gas Tax
8:19
Tolling vs. RUC: Scope and Politics
11:42
Work Zone Safety PSA
11:48
Education, Equity, and Public Trust
12:18
Industry Shifts and Fuel Tax Decline
14:20
Designing Equitable RUC Rates
16:14
Lessons from Other States and IBTTA
18:24
Tech Options: Odometers, Phones, and GPS
21:35
Light Infrastructure, Better Experience
23:03
Automakers’ Role and Seamless Enrollment
24:22
Depoliticizing Funding and Price Transparency
26:19
Public Education as the Deciding Factor
27:47
Closing Thanks and Credits
Talking Michigan Transportation
Michigan budget has good news for studying road usage charges
Oct 09, 2025
Season 7
Episode 242
With Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget agreement now signed into law, this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast focuses on a long-discussed pilot project for a road usage charge (RUC) system, which received funding.
First, State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt of Eastpointe, who chairs the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and has been a strong advocate for studying alternative ways to fund transportation, explains why she advocated for the RUC pilot.
Later, John Peracchio, a senior adviser to Michigan’s Council on Future Mobility and Electrification (CFME), offers his insights on how a RUC system has worked in other states and how the council can help with the education process.
