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Uber commissions report on potential congestion pricing in Seattle


What congestion pricing could mean for Seattle drivers (KOMO photo)
What congestion pricing could mean for Seattle drivers (KOMO photo)
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Ride share giant Uber has commissioned a report on Seattle’s potential plan to charge a toll to drive into downtown Seattle. The report came up with $3.80 as the suggested toll.

Uber supports what's known as congestion pricing as a solution to reduce traffic congestion. The white paper released on Wednesday was done by ECONorthwest and based on regional travel data supplied by Uber and data from the Puget Sound Regional Council.

In May, the City of Seattle released a report outlining 11 possible scenarios on how congestion pricing could be implemented and a potential pricing policy but did not make any pricing suggestions.

The report says tolls would need to vary hour-to-hour to reflect peak and off-peak demand. The suggested tolls would range from $1.50 at midday, to a peak of $3.80 in the afternoon. The report suggest no tolls between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and on the weekends, and the maximum charge any one vehicle would pay in a single day is $3.80.

Some drivers in Seattle say they would pay the charge.

“I think Seattle has kind of been taxing the crap out of us. I would pay it but I wouldn't be happy about it,” Elliott Brazil said.

“I’d be for it,” says Kathik Kumar. “I think the traffic here needs to be reduced, it's getting a little too much.”

“So that was the price that we want, that we came up with that would have the right amount of impact on travel behavior,” says Chris Pangilinan, Director of Public Transportation Policy for Uber.

A price point is important because it sets the threshold drivers are unwilling to pay to enter downtown.

The report estimates congestion pricing would reduce auto travel times in downtown by 30% during the morning and afternoon commutes with an average time saving of 6 minutes per peak period trip, saving drivers $90 million per year in lost productivity.

But it’s a bottom line number that may have Seattle lawmakers salivating. The report estimates gross revenues in tolls could be $130 million per year.

“Battling congestion is definitely an interest of Uber -- for our drivers, for our riders,” says Pangilinan.

Veronica Dominquez said she wouldn’t pay the toll. “I’d rather just ‘bus it’ if it had to be like that.

It’s no secret that the goal of many Seattle lawmakers is to get people out of their cars and into public transit.

“I think that's bad, there's already so many hidden fees in Seattle, we don't need another one,” says Shane Frassato. “So you try to budget your money and all of a sudden you get hit with a hidden tax -- you can't budget your money.”

“If it meant that there wasn't a rush hour and I was guaranteed and I’d get a streamlined, through-way for sure, I think I'd pay that,” says Carlos Sosa.

“People that live and work and have to come in on a regular basis, they are being penalized basically for the city having an inadequate infrastructure,” says Sosa. “To make vehicle usage something only certain people can afford is another discriminatory act."

In April 2018, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan set a goal to have congestion pricing in place by 2021.

Seattle’s Department of Transportation declined our request for comment on Uber’s report. The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for a comment.

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