New Toyota Prius PHEV?

It appears that the vehicle is not eligible for a green license plate. If the govermnent issued it to them they got a nice deal. If not, they are cheating.

When I drove my Prime through the Toronto area a few months ago, I didn't realize that a Prime was eligible for the HOV lane. I assume you need the plate, and not just the car, and that my Nebraska plate would not be welcomed in the HOV late.

 

same problem in california

 

Yup. I use the 404 HOV frequently, and see all sorts of infractions on a daily basis.
The worst part is like NSXT says. Some people get into that lane and consider it a pick your own speed lane. They will tailgate, flash high beams and flip you the bird, before crossing the double lines, glare at you (maybe even try to run you off the road) and then cross the line again to get back in and proceed to drive in excess of +130km/h.
The level of stupidity is insane.

NSXT - I would share that pic - showing the license, to Ministry of Transport so they can act to get it revoked. I bet they find it isn't even registered to that car.

 

I wonder why people fixate on or worry about small things like the color of someone's license plate or whether they should be allowed to drive in the same lane as me.

 

Counterpoint: What's the point of the law if we're not going to bother enforcing it?

I get it--a small thing. But, the province established the law as such. Enforce it, or get rid of the law.

 

You should take a trip to New Jersey where all traffic rules are treated as optional in my experience.

 

I’ll bet you find the plate IS legally registered to the car.... I have seen about a dozen or so 4th Gen Prius (not Prime) driving around with a green plate over the last 2-3 years. The first time I saw one, I figured the guy probably swapped it with another car of his, but when I started to see other 4th gens with the plate, I reached the conclusion that it has to be the MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) that is screwing up, lol.

I drive the 403 HOV almost daily, I love the HOV privileges. I can wait until the construction on the 401 through Mississauga is done so we have HOV there too, that will be even better for me. Looks like it will be ready next summer!

Then once that is nearly done, the province will get to work on finishing the HOV’s right to my house. (My exit is Highway 25)

 

Sorry, but the whole car pool lane thing is a sore subject with me. I get the concept - encourage car pooling. But in our state, you can drive in the car pool lane if you can afford to pay $5. or $10. in certain high usage sections. I am retired and usually travel with my wife, so we can use the car pool lane whether we need to or not. In California, people who can afford a new car like a Prime can use it, but not a poor person who can only afford a 15 year old Honda. Sounds like the same thing is going on in Canada.

 

That applies only to the SR167 HOT lanes, and to the I-405 Express Toll Lanes, both of which were underused before the tolling feature was added. The real HOV lanes on I-5, I-90, SR16, and SR520, don't have this feature of allowing single occupants to pay for access.

I'm retired now too. But before anyone had a Prius, I was in several real carpools over 16 years, taking advantage of the ever-expanding HOV lanes on I-5. These I-5 lanes already carry too much transit bus and real HOV traffic to even think about allowing solo hybrids or BEVs to join in.

BTW, the fine for HOV violations goes up on Sunday, to $186 for first-timers. And a new feature is added: displaying a dummy as your additional 'passenger' brings a $200 surcharge:
Carpool violators in Washington face heftier fines starting Sunday

In past threads I've posted links to articles about the periodic emphasis patrols (usually pre-announced), showing numbers cited, numbers getting repeat citations during the same emphasis week, and pictures of the more interesting dummy passengers.

I wonder why so many people feel personal entitlements to place themselves above the laws that make our systems work. The small things, when unenforced, normally lead to a continual escalation to ever bigger things.

 

That is a good point, that is a loophole that very well may exist. Though I find it hard to believe someone would have moved from a plug-in vehicle to a regular Prius, most people go the other way... . But it certainly is a possibility.

I haven’t seen many of this wrongly plated Prius lately though, I suspect the MTO has probably fixed whatever the problem was by now.