Minnesota transportation officials are looking for a few good drivers for a test program that might someday lead to a mileage-based tax.
The 500 volunteers needed in Hennepin and Wright counties will use GPS-equipped smartphones to record and submit travel information. The idea is to see how well such a system works.
The state is looking ahead to a time when so many electric and hybrid vehicles are on the roads that a gas tax no longer nets enough money to build and maintain roads. A mileage tax would collect money based on how many miles someone drives rather than on how much gas they use.
The Legislature allocated $5 million for the pilot program in 2007. The department will recruit volunteers in May and begin the research in June.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)