Electric Bill, what is the Transportation user fee? (Austin: apartment, tax)

[eileenkeeney]

There is this note on my electric bill, that says this

If you are over 65 or do not drive/own a vehicle or this property is vacant, you may qualify for an exemption to the Transportation User Fee

I have never actually seen a transportation user fee on my statement.

What exactly is this?

Is it high enough that I should bother with whatever hassle is involved in getting the exemption?

[ROY DUBOSE]

looks like another tax disguised as a services fee

[derekv]

Below is from the Austin bicycle coalition website:



Part of every residential City of Austin utility bill is a charge for "Transportation User Fee" (TUF). One of the provisions of this fee is that people who don't own or drive cars are exempt from the fee. You can easily claim your exemption by calling the City's utility billing department at 494-9400.
The monthly amount charged for TUF varies slightly depending on whether you live in a house, duplex, or apartment, but is around $3.30/month, or $39.60/year.
Notice that the exemption actually has nothing to do with whether you cycle; you get the exemption if you don't own and don't drive a car.
This exemption is not new, it's just not widely known. The exemption has always been a part of the TUF, which was authorized by the City Council in the mid-90s. If you want to check it out for yourself, the text for the TUF and the exemption are found in 14-10 of the Austin City Code. (The exemption for non-motorists is listed under 14-10-14(D)(1).)
Note: We've had reports that City phone reps are denying the TUF exemption to callers who have a driver's license, even if they don't own or drive a car. This is wrong; merely possessing a driver's license shouldn't disqualify you from getting the exemption. If they try to do this to you, contact the Urban Transportation Commission.

[orbius]

Its a fee you're paying for the excellent and congestion free roads in Austin.

[eileenkeeney]

Nothing on my bill, shows this charge actually being charged, I just see the note (the one in the op).

But there is a
Customer Charge of $6.00 along with the actual charge for the power consumed.
So is this transportation fee part of this $6.00 or should it be showing up separate.
Did I somehow get this exemption without ever applying, or is the fee hidden in the customer charge?

Does anyone else have a bill from Austin Power (City of Austin), that shows this fee as a separate item on the bill?

[austinizer]

We had the TUF listed at the bottom of the statement on the second page, in the drainage/street service section, $6.63 per month. I believe it was waived whenever we used less than 150 kWh per month but I'm not sure if I ever found a reference to this fact, it was just an observation.

[tbrown17]

Originally Posted by eileenkeeney

There is this note on my electric bill, that says this

If you are over 65 or do not drive/own a vehicle or this property is vacant, you may qualify for an exemption to the Transportation User Fee

I have never actually seen a transportation user fee on my statement.

What exactly is this?

Is it high enough that I should bother with whatever hassle is involved in getting the exemption?

If you are over 65, or don't drive or don't own a car you can call the AEU customer service number on your bill and they will remove the $6.63/mo fee from you bill right there & then with no problem. I just did it, after 20 years of paying the fee which has been in place since the 1990s

[eweepeewee]

wow...i just noticed this 'fee' on my bill...looks like another ploy to get us riding the crummy cap metro...can't wait to leave this town

[jp_austin]

Yeah just another cling on fee the utility adds in. I swear 50% of the bill goes to social engineering projects the city undertakes while the rest actually goes to power generation.

[chudddds]

I just did it.

No problem , no more fee. just call 512-494-9400

took 3 minutes

thanx yall