Some California Vehicles Slated To Lose Carpool Lane Access In 2025

CALIFORNIA — It may soon be the end of the road for solo drivers who cruise through the carpool lane with their clear air vehicle stickers.

California's Clean Air Vehicle decal program allows motorists in low- and zero-emission vehicles to drive in high-occupancy vehicle lanes without any passengers.

Although Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in September that extends the program to Jan. 1, 2027, the federal government has to allow states to extend their programs for clean air vehicles. Therefore, the program is slated to expire Sept. 30, 2025, unless Congress approves an extension.

"Several such bills have been enacted over the years, and automakers traditionally have been among the supporters," John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next Congress."

In March of 2024, there were 411,133 vehicles in California with active CAV decals, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Since the program started in January 2001, the DMV has issued more than 1.05 million decals to cars that meet the state's criteria.

It's unknown how the expiration date for decals could affect sales of new clean air vehicles in California, but many drivers with the carpool stickers bought their vehicles to speed up their commute. In fact, a 2016 study by the UCLA Luskin Center For Innovation found that 40% of people who purchased plug-ins bought their vehicles for carpool access.

It's also unclear how the removal of solo drivers from the carpool lanes could impact traffic throughout California. In 2023, there were about 1,557 miles of HOV lanes in the state and about 565 miles of express toll lanes, according to Caltrans.

The decal program's expiration could incentivize carpooling and ride-sharing.

Tesla owner Ali Chitsaz told NBC 7 San Diego he didn't buy an electric car for carpool access.

"I think a lot of us have been stuck in HOV lanes in traffic, so you get in a HOV lane and you're stuck in the same amount of traffic," Chitsaz said. "So, let's make those lanes more beneficial."