Estimation of Costs of Cars and Light Truck Use per Vehicle-Kilometer in Canada

Vehicle operating cost information is important for many types of transportation policy analysis, planning and economic evaluation, such as project benefit/cost analysis. As one component of the overall full cost investigation, this paper presents the results of a detailed study to estimate the costs per vehicle kilometer of Canadian owned cars and light trucks use in the year 2000 including capital costs of depreciation of the vehicle, financing cost of vehicle purchase, fuel costs, registration or license fees, road or bridge tolls, insurance, and other maintenance and operating costs. A total of 11 vehicle classes are included in the analysis from a two-seater auto to a large cargo van. Then a typical vehicle representing each vehicle class/vintage is used to estimate ownership and operating cost of each vehicle class including depreciation, insurance premium, and fuel and other operating costs in different Canadian provinces. Costs of operating in congested conditions are examined via a literature search while cost comparison of U.S. and Canadian costs on Canadian roads shows that U.S. vehicles generally operate at a 21% lower cost than Canadian vehicles.