Charging tolls on Los Angeles freeways during times of highest use and taxing Uber and Lyft rides are two new sources of revenue being considered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency announced Thursday.

The two ideas were presented in a report by LA Metro CEO Phil Washington as a potential solution to close a $26.2 billion gap in 28 projects being accelerated for completion by the 2028 Olympic Games coming to Southern California.

Called “congestion pricing,” the plan would charge for use of all lanes on freeways entering inner city core areas of Los Angeles, such as the 101, 5, 10 and 60 freeways during rush hours, while keeping the freeways free during off-peak hours.

By reducing single-passenger cars on freeways during morning and afternoon rush hours, and charging a fee for motorists who choose to use the freeways during the busy times, it allows LA Metro to add more bus service and train service, reducing freeway congestion.

Currently, buses sit in the same traffic jams as passenger cars, reducing the incentive to take mass transit. Some train lines, such as the Expo Line, must wait for a green light to move ahead in south Los Angeles.

Dealing with jams worldwide

This type of system has been implemented in London, Stockholm, Singapore, and Milan to great success, according to Washington.

In Stockholm, for example, customers drive to 2,800 new park-n-ride facilities, park their cars, then take mass transit into the city center. The congestion pricing charge is $3 per car for driving into our out of the city, according to Washington’s report.

A congestion pricing scheme in Los Angeles County could raise $1.2 billion a year, according to the report.

“If we were to implement something like congestion pricing, we must have viable alternatives and that would be transit,” Washington told the board. “We are talking about increasing frequencies of buses on major arteries.”

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Long Beach’s $1.46 billion bridge appears headed for an early October opening Taxing ride-hailing services could add revenues between $70,000 to $962,500 per day, or between $25 million and $350 million per year in Los Angeles County, according to Washington’s report.

“Congestion pricing worldwide is the only strategy to be proven successful to reduce congestion in 100 cities all over the world,” said Martin Wachs, a former researcher at the RAND Corporation and UCLA professor emeritus studying transportation and urban planning.

Projects on the “28 by 2028” list include: a people mover to LAX; the Crenshaw rail line; extension of the Gold Line to Montclair; the Sepulveda Pass Express Lanes; Purple Line rail extension to Westwood and expansion of the Los Angeles River bike path.

Washington will bring the issue back to the governing board in January, he said.