Distance based rego fees for bikes

[inlinefour]

In NZ drivers of diesel vehicles and vehicles over 3.5 tonnes pay by the KM in the form of road user charges (See http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/commercial/ruc.html ) .

Anyway, if you are like me for whatever reason, you bike is mostly a toy. A serious toy, but a toy. Mostly used on the weekends and fine evenings. Where I live at the moment, I don't ride to work because I live 30 mins walk away from it. If I did live further away, I probably would use my bike as a commuter vehicle.

Now it would suit me, money wise, if I payed charges based on the distance I rode on the bike, like a diesel car owner does. I wouldn't pay all that rego for not much use. In my case I have done less than 10,000km in two years.

It would also suit me if I wanted to start a small collection of bikes that don't qualify as classic vehicles yet (They get cheaper rego) but I still wanted to ride them on public roads.

Would some sort of KM charge instead of time based rego suit you too?

Your thoughts? Just wondering..

I own a deisel hilux. Not only do I pay for a rego but also the RUC. Start talking like this and we will be paying for both on our bikes also.

[limbimtimwim]

It's a crap idea mate, What about all us that commute on our bikes,plus fun rides on the weekend, plus long tours and such?

Someone else suggested perhaps if it were structured so you could have a choice. Making it uneconomic to do it by distance if you went more than 10,000 Km a year or somesuch. In that case taking the 'normal' option would be better.

[Lou Girardin]

It is supose to be a no blame legistation so why do motorcycle riders get stung?

We get stung because it is no fault insurance. They don't care who's fault it is, just that they have to pay for us.

[Coyote]

Good idea for me cause I had to pay for the CBR for the 4 months it was in the garage, and now it's the same with the RG cause I can't ride it untill I get the piston replaced. Only just got the RGs rego a few days ago and already I can't ride it

[Bartman10]

Some of you clearly don't understand what rego is for.

Vehicle licensing (rego) is for ACC; it is an ACC insurance premium. You pay that on a diesel anyway, and it's a lot more than on a petrol car, over $300 per year on my Hiace van.

Road user charges (ie the per km charge on a diesel) is ostensibly for servicing roads, and has nothing to do with vehicle licensing or ACC charges. You pay road user charges in lieu of petrol tax (notice how diesel is much cheaper at the pump?) It works out at about 3.3 cents a km

So what part of the charges are you proposing to reduce? The petrol tax component - which is related to the distance traveled anyway - or the ACC component - which will never happen, becasue no other vehicle gets a per km option for this.

The 'system' would need significant modification before your suggestion could be introduced - unlikely to happen for the few motorcyclists that would benefit from it.

[limbimtimwim]

Some of you clearly don't understand what rego is for. ... The 'system' would need significant modification before your suggestion could be introduced - unlikely to happen for the few motorcyclists that would benefit from it.

Yeah, quite right, I don't/didn't understand how it all worked for diesels.

What got me thinking was this (
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5982762.html ) article. Well, the links off the start of it anyway. They are thinking in terms of getting vehicles off the road and people into public transport.

I just wanted this dream world where we'd flick $20 per vehicle at the gummint and then pay by the km. Up to some maximum, maybe. Which would be nice for those of us who don't do many ks a year.

[Beemer]

I'd be up for it - with six bikes between us (and only one a dirt bike so not licensed), it would make our yearly payments much lower!

[ManDownUnder]

Bloody brilliant idea.

I'm happy to pay anything less than I currently do - get the annual Rego fee and divide by 15,000kms give or take...

What about insurance too - surely the same philosophy could/should/would apply?

[danb]

As long as people had a choice to which option they wanted I would be for it.

One thing I would like to see happen is only one ACC change per person not per vehicle. If you say had a bike and a car with different ACC prices the bike one would be used as it is higher (even though I think they all should all be the same). I don’t think its fair to double charge people for this.