California freeway drivers with older hybrid vehicles will no longer be eligible to drive solo and use the carpool lanes after June 30, 2011.
A program begun in 2005 to encourage purchases of low-mileage vehicles such as the Toyota Prius is now focusing on all-electric cars or natural gas-powered vehicles. 85,000 owners were given a yellow sticker for their hybrid autos that gave them access to carpool lanes and easier commutes to and from work.
Those initial adopters fought long and hard to keep their status, as long as their vehicles remained in their name and were still on the road. The yellow stickers were supposed to have expired in 2008 and then again in January, 2011. Lobbying efforts proved fruitful until now and owners of the yellow-stickered cars are coming to grips with reality. They must purchase a vehicle that qualifies or be stuck in seemingly endless traffic jams like the rest of the California commuting population.
There was a status that came along with the yellow stickers. Early adopters of the hybrids were making a statement about their eco-friendliness as well as reaping the benefits of zipping past fellow citizens sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic twice a day.
The Los Angeles Times reports that in 2004, only 85,000 hybrids were sold. Once California adopted the sticker program, sales jumped to over 200,000 in one year and peaked at more than 350,000 vehicles in 2007, the final year yellow stickers were issued.
Industry analysts, J.D. Power said that high fuel prices and availability of more models from multiple car companies could push sales to over 600,000 by the end of 2012. Twenty-five percent of all hybrid vehicles sold in the United States are registered in the state of California, according to the Times.
What are owners of the expiring stickers planning to do? Some are gritting their teeth and preparing themselves for the inevitable return to the land of the non-privileged. Others are converting to the vehicles that now qualify for white stickers that are valid until 2015.
For those that can't practically make the jump to the alternative fuel cars like the Nissan Leaf, there might be hope for an alternative. California officials are preparing green stickers that will adorn hybrid vehicles that comply with tougher emission standards. Only 40,000 of those will be issued beginning in 2012.
One Southern California Prius driver with a yellow sticker researched the availability and geographic locations for natural gas dispensing stations. With a commute that can be accomplished in a bit more than 30 minutes in a carpool lane, he's not ready for that to jump to 1.5 hours on a bad commuting day.
Pete Sanders said in an interview that he was lucky enough to locate a place close to his place of work where he can fill up at no more than $2.00 a gallon. With the average price of a gallon of regular gas hovering over $4.25 in the state, the difference is felt immediately at the pump as well as in the drive-time commute. He purchased a Honda Civic GX and received his white sticker, knowing that in four years he'll have to find another solution to the daily battle on the California freeway system.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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