Acceptance of Distance-Based Road Pricing - Evidence from a National Choice Experiment and a Field Trial in the Oslo Region

Support for road pricing is higher than the political debate often suggests, but it depends on policy design. Support increases when prices are lower, revenues are earmarked for transport-related purposes, and citizens receive clear information about how road pricing differs from the current system of tolls and fuel taxes. Information about effects on congestion and air pollution increases support to a lesser extent and only among drivers. Income and expected personal financial gains or losses play only a minor role. Experience with road pricing through an experiment led to only limited changes in attitudes, likely because participants experienced the costs of the scheme without experiencing its full societal benefits, such as reduced congestion.