HONOLULU (KHON2) — As of July 1, every vehicle going through a safety inspection must have its odometer reading photographed.
“In the past we manually inputted the numbers as far as the odometer. Now the state wants a clear picture,” said Robert Rose, Lex Brodie Safety Check Inspector.
It’s part of Hawaii’s slow, but steady move toward mileage based Road Usage Charge, or RUC.
Electric vehicles are the first group being transitioned.
Starting July 1, they can choose to pay a flat $50 fee or opt into the RUC program and pay .8 cents per mile.
The plan is to transition all vehicles to the program by 2033.
The state says odometer readings are the most reliable way to track mileage.
“It’s going to be a little bit longer the fact that we have to photograph the odometer now. That’s the next step, but everything else will be the same,” Rose said.
And while the photo process is pretty straightforward and the state says the system uploads the photos straight to the Department of Transportation inspection portal, most drivers we spoke with didn’t know about the new photo requirement, nor about the extra 75 cents the state tacked on to safety checks starting July 1 to help pay for the administrative cost of processing the photos.
“We’re paying for this rail, we’re paying for everything over here. Things are getting expensive,” said Fred Mattos, a Honolulu car owner.
EV drivers can use this link to estimate how much they might owe under the RUC and compare the two options.