Overview
In April, Paul Steinberg, Chief Business Officer at Carma Technology, presented at the ACT Red River Chapter meeting in Dallas — addressing how high-occupancy vehicle lanes could be reimagined to serve broader transportation goals.
Why traditional HOV lanes fall short
High-occupancy vehicle lanes were created to encourage carpooling and reduce congestion. However, many regions experience persistent underutilisation, high misuse rates, limited enforcement capacity, and inflexible rules that cannot adapt to modern travel patterns. Traditional HOV lanes typically operate separately from tolling systems and transit incentives, limiting their role in comprehensive mobility strategies.
Reframing the concept
Steinberg proposed reconceptualising HOV as "High Opportunity Vehicle" lanes — dynamic corridors supporting policy objectives rather than static rules. This model enables lanes to adapt based on time, congestion, occupancy levels, and policy priorities like emissions reduction and equity.
Dallas–Fort Worth in practice
The presentation highlighted Carma's experience managing smartphone-based HOV verification across a 120-mile managed-lane network in the Dallas–Fort Worth region. As of early 2025, the program had grown to over 85,000 users and processed more than 6.6 million verified HOV transactions, demonstrating improved carpool participation with reduced enforcement burden.
A forward-looking strategy
The approach emphasises flexibility, enforcement credibility, and integration with broader mobility goals while maintaining privacy through data minimisation and user control.