In Sept. 2005, eligible hybrid vehicles could use CA carpool lanes with only one occupant as an incentive to purchase them. The expiration date was extended by legislation twice, but DMV assures the 85,000 yellow decal owners it ends July 1.
The incentive program worked - there are now 423,180 hybrid vehicles registered in CA. And the $8 yellow decals added $4,000 to the value of the vehicle. It even enabled until last July a free ride over the $4 toll Bay Bridge.
For those solo motorists who wish to continue the 'carpool privilege', they can drive a zero-emission vehicle, e.g. Nissan Leaf with the white sticker, or come January, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, e.g. Chevy Volt, with the green sticker. Of course, they could always carpool or take the bus and not worry about getting a sticker which are suppose to expire in 2015 - so they say.
From SF Chronicle: John Burton defends Prius carpool-lane access: "The yellow-sticker program isn't over yet, and John Burton (the California Democratic Party chairman and former state Senate leader) is a crafty guy who knows more about the Capitol than anyone around. Don't be surprised if July 1 arrives, and Burton still is zipping from San Francisco to Sacramento in the carpool lane."
FULL STORY: Hybrids' yellow stickers program expires July 1
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