The independent commission tasked with studying mobility pricing in Metro Vancouver has narrowed its focus to two options, including a system of charging drivers at congestion hot spots.

That approach would see motorists dinged when driving through certain traffic-heavy areas, such as busy roads, tunnels and bridges.

The second would charge drivers by distance travelled, with higher dollar-per-kilometre rates being charged at busier areas and times.

The Mobility Pricing Independent Commission acknowledged neither system is likely to be embraced by the public immediately, but said other jurisdictions have found people warm to the charges after seeing positive results.

"As decongestion charging concepts become more concrete the public may begin to worry about the negative personal consequences," the commission wrote in a report. "After implementation public acceptance typically increases."

According to the commission, the public elsewhere has found so-called congestion charging resulted in more improved travel times and smaller bills than they expected.

But at this point, it's still unclear what either system might cost in Metro Vancouver.

"We don't have specifics about per-trip costs at this stage," commission chair Allan Seckel said. "It's got to be significant enough that it has some impact, and not so significant that it's not affordable."

It's also uncertain how B.C.'s NDP government will respond to the commission's findings. Introducing new tolls could be politically risky for a party that campaigned on a promise to remove them from the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges.

Asked about the commission on Tuesday, Premier John Horgan would not rule out the possibility of bringing in new tolls.

"The tolls that we removed were in one part of the Lower Mainland and unique to British Columbia, and it was the fairness question we raised during the election campaign," Horgan told reporters.

"I'll wait and see what they have to say and then we'll act on it."

Officials have warned that doing nothing is not an option; according to TransLink, trip times on key routes increased by 15 minutes over the last decade, and more than a million more people are expected to move into the region by 2045.

Meanwhile, congestion charging has been credited with helping to reduce gridlock in other major cities. Advocates say Stockholm's traffic decreased by 10 per cent after officials implemented a mobility pricing system.

The independent commission, which reports to the TransLink Mayors' Council, spent the fall gathering feedback from 6,000 residents and stakeholders in Metro Vancouver before tightening its focus, and will continue to hold consultations as it moves forward.

Researchers are expected to begin performing a more in-depth analysis of the two preferred options beginning later this month.

In the meantime, people can sign up for updates at the ItsTimeMV website. 

With files from CTV Vancouver's David Molko