HOV Bus lanes, which vehicles can use them even if the driver is alone and what miles they can give you

The Bus HOV lane is the one that you look forward to when you are stuck on the highway, near the cities, and you see that there are cars that follow the buses and move much faster than you. In the following lines we respond to what is on your mind at that moment: what to do to use it without risk of being fined?

The key to the operation of the HOV bus lanes is in these last three letters. VAO stands for High Occupancy Vehicles, that is, those in which the driver travels accompanied.

The first HOV bus lane in Spain was the A6 in Madrid. They say that in its first 10 years of life it has reduced the percentage of cars with a single occupant that circulate on that road by up to 47%.

To this day, there are lanes of this type in Granada, Barcelona and Seville. Each one has its own rules of use, although the requirement of the occupants is common to all.

HOV Bus lane, which vehicles can use it

The HOV bus lane is designed to relieve traffic congestion at the accesses to large cities.

As a general rule, only vehicles with a minimum number of occupants can travel through them; although there are some that also impose restrictions on use depending on the day or time:

• The usual thing is that cars with more than one occupant are allowed to pass.
• Regarding the type of vehicles, motorcycles, cars, vans, mixed vehicles, goods transport vehicles of up to 3,500 kg and buses can circulate on the HOV bus, as long as they meet the minimum occupancy

There are exceptions to this rule that allow some vehicles to use the HOV bus lanes regardless of the number of occupants. The cars with the Zero Emissions environmental label (these are electric cars) that can use the special lane even if only the driver travels stand out in this list.

Also priority and emergency vehicles, as well as road maintenance.

Which vehicles cannot use the HOV bus

There are a number of vehicles that, regardless of the number of occupants, are not allowed to use this special lane. They are animal-drawn vehicles, articulated trucks, mopeds and passenger cars with trailers.

Rules and fines

There are no special speed limit regulations for HOV bus lanes, but the one set in that section applies. The rest of the usual traffic regulations regarding overtaking, safety distance, right-of-way… are also mandatory.

The fine for using the high occupancy lane without meeting the established requirements is 200 euros. It is one of the sanctions whose amount can be reduced by half if it is paid in a voluntary period.