Another Reason to Buy a Hybrid Car
If much better gas mileage isn't reason enough to make the switch and buy one of the growing number of hybrid motor vehicles, the Senate on Wednesday added another carrot. Under a bill approved unanimously by the chamber, owners of hybrids would be able to obtain a sticker that would authorize them to use high occupancy vehicle lanes regardless of the number of occupants in the car or SUV.
The special "hybrid vehicle" insignias would be issued for free by the Texas Department of Transportation. The stickers could continue to be issued until HOV lanes in a metropolitan area reached 80 percent of capacity under the Senate bill.
Reports out of California indicate that such stickers have added significant resale value to hybrids that had the stickers before the state quit issuing them when predetermined limits were reached. So that could be another reason to spring for a hybrid now. The bill by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, now goes to the House.
Comments
I think the bill was short sighted. It should have included some diesel vehicles as well. I’ve got a vehicle that gets better world mileage and produces less greenhouse gasses than a Prius. It’s a VW Jetta TDI.
Posted by: Jesse Thoresen | April 24, 2007 8:21 AM
As the owner of a hybrid, I'd love it. Go Rodney!
Posted by: Paul | April 24, 2007 11:41 AM