Vehicles: high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

Existing federal law authorizes, until September 30, 2017, a state to allow specified labeled vehicles to use lanes designated for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) . Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate certain lanes for the exclusive use of HOVs, which may also be used, until January 1, 2019, or until the date the federal authorization expires, or until the Secretary of State receives that specified notice, whichever occurs first, by certain eligible low-emission and hybrid vehicles not carrying the requisite number of passengers otherwise required for the use of an HOV lane if the vehicle displays a vehicle identifier issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Existing law exempts a vehicle, eligible under these provisions to use HOV lanes, from toll charges imposed on single-occupant vehicles in designated high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes unless prohibited by federal law. This bill would instead grant a vehicle, eligible under these provisions to use HOV lanes, a toll-free or reduced-rate passage in HOT lanes. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 5205.5 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 2013, that would become operative only if AB 2013 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is chaptered last.