Carpool rules for CNG White stickers on Bay Area bridges?

[MarkWalnutCreek]

Hi there,
I had a conversation with Fastrak today who claimed CNG cars can go across the Bay Bridge HOV lanes during morning/afternoon rush but MUST have 3 occupants to go free. That seems odd. Anyone know where to find the definative answer?

Thanks in advance, Mark

[echamberlain]

Re: Carpool rules for CNG White stickers on Bay Area bridges?

They are confused and talking about the yellow stickers. They have issued more yellow stickers and forget about the white ones.

Low-Emission Vehicle Identification for High-Occupancy Vehicle Lane Use: Tolls

(h) If the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, serving as the Bay Area Toll Authority, grants toll-free and reduced-rate passage on toll bridges under its jurisdiction to any vehicle pursuant to Section 30102.5 of the Streets and Highways Code, it shall also grant the same toll-free and reduced-rate passage to a vehicle displaying an identifier issued by the department pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) and to a vehicle displaying a valid identifier issued by the department pursuant to paragraph (3) or (4) of subdivision (a) if the vehicle is registered to an address outside of the region identified in Section 66502 of the Government Code.

Their confusion is with part (i):

i) An owner of a vehicle specified in paragraph (3) or (4) of subdivision (a) whose vehicle is registered to an address in the region identified in Section 66502 of the Government Code and who seeks a vehicle identifier under subdivision (a) in order to have access to a HOV lane within the jurisdiction of the Bay Area Toll Authority shall do both of the following:

(1) Obtain and maintain an active account to operate within the automatic vehicle identification system described in Section 27565 of the Streets and Highways Code and shall submit to the department a form, approved by the department and issued by the Bay Area Toll Authority, that contains the vehicle owner’s name, the license plate number and vehicle identification number of the vehicle, the vehicle make and year model, and the automatic vehicle identification system account number, as a condition to obtaining a vehicle identifier pursuant to subdivision (a) that allows for the use of that vehicle in HOV lanes regardless of the number of occupants.

(2) Be eligible for toll-free or reduced-rate passage on toll bridges within the jurisdiction of the Bay Area Toll Authority only if, at time of passage, the vehicle meets the passenger occupancy rate requirement established for that toll-free or reduced-rate passage.

That section only applies to:

(3) A hybrid vehicle or an alternative fuel vehicle that meets California’s advanced technology partial zero-emission vehicle (AT PZEV) standard for criteria pollutant emissions and has a 45 miles per gallon or greater fuel economy highway rating.

(4) A hybrid vehicle that was produced during the 2004 model-year or earlier and has a 45 miles per gallon or greater fuel economy highway rating, and meets California’s ULEV, SULEV, or partial zero-emission vehicle (PZEV) standards.