Hybrid Car Access to HOV Lane in Arizona, California and Colorado
Access to the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, sometimes called the carpool lane, is a perk for those who ride share. In some states, a vehicle needs to have two or more people and in others it is three. Then you’ll find yourself in a state like California where the HOV lane is marked as 2+ and then a few miles down the road it magically turns into 3+ and you have to merge into traffic that is sitting at a standstill.
Until the last several years, hybrid car owners were not given special access to HOV lanes unless they also met the minimum person requirement. However, some states launched a special permit program which would allow certain lucky hybrid owners the ability to use the HOV lane. I decided to do a little research to compare a few states’ regulations on hybrid cars’ ability to use carpool lanes.
Arizona
In 2007, the State of Arizona began a program in which the state issued permits for certain hybrid cars. The only hybrid models that qualified for a permit were the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and the now defunct Honda Insight. There are no new hybrid permits being offered in Arizona and cars that have the permit can fetch a pretty premium.
California
California, land of the traffic jam, has also suspended their issuance of HOV permits for hybrid cars. Like Arizona, the State of California restricted these permits to only the highest MPG hybrids. If you happened to drive a Chevy Tahoe hybrid you weren’t eligible because that non-hybrid Civic riding next to you had a better MPG rating.
Colorado
Hybrid drivers in Colorado were able to apply for a hybrid permit for the first time earlier this year. The initial launch was a mere 2,000 permits but it is likely that there may still be permits to be had in Colorado as the state (nor any of the cities located in Colorado) made the top ten hybrid registrations as researched by R.L. Polk & Co.
While the hybrid permits are a nice perk, having only one car on the road instead of two is better for the environment. Keeping the HOV lanes restricted to cars with more than one rider gets my vote. If you don’t have a hybrid, or a hybrid permit, look into a rideshare program.
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[...] huge addition to the already fantastic Honda Civic GX. The vehicle also qualifies for access to the HOV lanes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia and the District of [...]
Still unsure why a mother with an infant in a Chevy Suburban is granted access to the HOV lane and I, seeking a smaller carbon footprint and more evironmentally-friendly lifestyle leasing a new Toyota Prius at 53 mpg is denied access. I am not seeking the mom’s ouster, just my inclusion as a bonified member of the “green” community.