Reimagining HOV Lanes: From Static Infrastructure to High-Opportunity Corridors
April 2025
In April, Paul Steinberg, Chief Business Officer at Carma Technology, spoke at the ACT Red River Chapter meeting in Dallas on a question facing agencies nationwide: What if HOV lanes were designed not just to move vehicles—but to create opportunity?
His presentation, “Reimagining HOV Lanes,” challenged long-standing assumptions about high-occupancy vehicle infrastructure and offered a vision for how technology can transform underutilized lanes into flexible, high-impact tools for congestion management, climate goals, and traveler choice.
Why Traditional HOV Lanes Fall Short
High-occupancy vehicle lanes were introduced decades ago with the goal of encouraging carpooling and reducing congestion. Yet in many regions today, these lanes remain underused while adjacent general-purpose lanes are congested. Operators are faced with persistent challenges: low utilization rates, high rates of misuse, limited enforcement capacity, and rigid, one-size-fits-all rules that struggle to adapt to changing travel behavior.
Perhaps most critically, traditional HOV lanes often operate in isolation—disconnected from tolling systems, transit incentives, or broader mobility programs—limiting their ability to support modern, multimodal transportation strategies.
From “High Occupancy” to “High Opportunity”
Steinberg proposed reframing HOV as “High Opportunity Vehicle” lanes—corridors that dynamically support public policy objectives rather than static eligibility rules. In this model, HOV lanes become programmable assets that can respond to time of day, congestion levels, occupancy, or policy priorities such as emissions reduction and equity.
By using smartphones travelers already carry, agencies can confirm occupancy digitally, reduce reliance on roadside enforcement, and integrate HOV access with toll discounts, mobility incentives, and real-time traveler feedback.
Lessons from Dallas–Fort Worth
The presentation drew heavily from Carma’s experience operating large-scale HOV verification in the Dallas–Fort Worth region, where smartphone-based verification supports a 120-mile managed lane network. As of early 2025, the program had grown to more than 85,000 users and processed over 6.6 million verified HOV transactions, improving carpool participation while reducing enforcement burden and customer service demand.
These results demonstrate that digital verification not only improves compliance, but also enables entirely new forms of engagement. Travelers receive transparent confirmation of eligibility, agencies gain reliable data, and policy changes can be implemented in software—often in minutes rather than months.
A Platform for the Next Generation of Mobility Policy
Beyond HOV enforcement, Steinberg emphasized how smartphone platforms can serve as a direct policy interface between agencies and travelers. Behavioral incentives, personalized communications, and optional participation in programs like road usage charging or emissions-reduction initiatives allow agencies to move from static rules to adaptive, outcome-driven strategies.
Privacy, a recurring concern in any technology-enabled program, was addressed directly. The platform discussed is designed around strict data minimization, user control, geofenced collection, and short retention windows—ensuring agencies can modernize operations without compromising public trust.
Looking Ahead
As regions across the country rethink how limited roadway space is allocated, the future of HOV lanes will depend on flexibility, enforcement credibility, and integration with broader mobility goals. Reimagining these lanes as high-opportunity corridors—supported by smartphone-based verification—offers a path forward that is scalable, equitable, and ready for real-world deployment.
Carma was proud to share these insights with the ACT Red River Chapter and to continue collaborating with agencies exploring how technology can help transportation infrastructure work harder for the people it serves.