Update on HOV plates

New poster here as well....

As I understand it it is a pilot program limited to 10,000 vehicles. Somewhere I read that about 8,000 are already enrolled. You can't personalize the plates, but it does only run $10 to get up and going.

This site offers some good info
Motor Vehicle Division

Happy Reading

T

 

In November or so they said there were 3000 plates left. They estimated all would be gone before the first half of 2008 (I want to say March). Auto sales are slowing so who knows. We just received our regular plates and I quickly went online to order the hov plates. Should be here in 5 days.

 

Got mine today, ordered them a week ago yesterday. not bad for the State of AZ

T

 

We received ours in the mail today. Lookout left-most lane, here comes another prius.

 

Unfortunately, the HOV lane on eastbound I-10 is pretty useless in the afternoon. I don't have to commute it (whew!), but when I do have to head out to east Mesa from central Phoenix I've found going out McDowell to Country Club is faster.

 

Hope you got your HOV plates by now. We just purchased the car - 08 pkg#2. Not delivered yet. Looks like we need to get the normal plate in the mail first (usually 3 weeks) and after that we can apply for the HOV. Worried if they run out of those 10K by then. Does anyone have a more recent status?

The salesman told that it is ok to drive on the HOV lane with the dealer's paper registration. I didn't believe him and he didn't have any documentation to prove that. Anyone heard that before?

Very glad to be a part of this forum

 

I hadn't heard that. I thought about it but the fine and moving violation quickly made us throw that one out. Would seem until the fee is paid on the HOV plate they could give you a ticket. Funny, our sales guy downplayed the hov plate, minimal details and discussion. I assumed it was so wouldn't be nailed for promoting hov plates as a selling point.

Congrats on the car!

 

I asked the MVD this same question and was told it definitely is NOT legal to drive in the HOV lane alone without the actual hybrid plate.

 

It would be interesting to know how many HOV plates are remaining. A friend was talking about getting a Prius for the purpose of owning an HOV plate. I've been receiving many recent phone calls and emails from Prius salespersons. Wonder if Prius sales are slowing down.

 

Well, my HOV plates came in the mail just last week. When I purchased the car in mid January, the gal at the offsite DMV office (Big Two Toyota in Gilbert) said that there were something like 2000 plates left in the program. Don't know if this is total bunk or not, but I'm just happy I got mine. More than anything I just like the way they look. The HOV privs aren't bad either, though the HOV lanes are starting to get just as bad as the normal lanes during rush hour(s)...

Cheers!

--
Jeff

 

Got my regular plates in the mail in 2 weeks. Applied for the HOV plates online that day and got that in 1 week.

Happy camper now

 

I got the same information from the MVD a few weeks ago.

 

The 10E HOV lane is a disaster! Sure, it moves faster than the other lanes, but its still a slow go!!

But the new 101 HOV will be so nice!!

 

Yeah... for those lucky enough to get to use it.

I commute from Chandler to Scottsdale, so my commute will take me past approximately 1.5 miles of the glorious HOV lane on the 101 North. I can't even use that as I will just have to swerve across all four lanes of traffic to exit on McDowell. LOL. Maybe I'll drive it some weekend when I'm on my way out to I-17 or something. :frusty:

 

I want to thank this thread . . .

I bo't by prius on the 18th, got my regular plates in the mail today and drove to DMV . . . egads, the line was atrocious! I was going to wait until Tuesday to go to Desert Title, then happened on the messages of this thread tonight. I went to ServiceArizona and within one minute, had my receipt for my new HOV plates. I should receive them in five business days!

How fun. The HOV lane won't help me from PHX to Mesa in the afternoon, but I am looking forward to using the I10 third street exit/entrance!

 

Congrats on getting the plates! (and on driving a Prius!). Enjoy life in the fastlane... Just remember that speed kills your fuel economy!!! :boink:

 

I just bought a Prius yesterday. Does anyone know if these plates are still available? Thanks.