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[quote user="John WR"] [quote user="Sam1"]A similar dynamic would impact all commercial carriers, i.e. air, bus, etc., but it would not change the federal  subsidy per motorist because they are the customer and passenger irrespective of how many trips they make in a year.[/quote] But Sam, not all motorists receive Federal subsidies.  You only get a Federal subsidy to the extent you drive on Federal roads most of which are Interstate Highways.  When you drive on state, county or municipal roads you get no Federal subsidy.   However, if you drive at all you pay for Federal roads whether you use them on not because they are funded with a Federal excise tax on motor fuels.   For example, the guy who delivers food for restaurants drives a lot of miles but almost none on Federal roads.  Yet he pays as much to maintain interstate highways was the guy who commutes every day on one of them.  And people who drive on toll roads have to pay to drive on the roads and also pay again for the interstates they don't use.  There is no fairness in that system; it is totally arbitrary.  [/quote] Fairness is in the eyes of the beholder. People who benefit from a policy believe it is fair whilst those who don't shout foul. There is a degree of arbitrariness in every government program. The question is whether the program serves most of the people most of the time.   There is a difference between customers and passengers on commercial carriers but not in the case of motorists was the point that I was trying to make.  This year as a customer I have made nine trips on Amtrak, which means I count as nine passengers even though I am one customer.   I am also a motorist. To the extent that the federal highway taxes (user fees) don't cover the cost of the federal highway system that I use, I receive a federal subsidy, although this an over simplification. When I am in my car, I am the motorist and the passenger.  One and the same as opposed to being a customer on a commercial carrier who might account for multiple passenger trips.
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