Impact of high occupancy vehicle lanes on carpooling behavior

High occupancy vehicle lanes have become an integral part of regional transportation planning. Their purpose is to increase ridesharing by offering a travel time advantage to multiple occupant vehicles. This paper examines the extent to which an HOV facility increases ridesharing. Using data from the Route 55 HOV facility in Orange Country, California, changes in the carpooling rate on Route 55 are compared to that of a control group of freeway commuters. The analysis shows that the carpooling rate among peak period commuters, and particularly those who use the entire length of the facility, has increased. However, there has been no significant increase in ridesharing among the entire population of Route 55 commuters. Results suggest that barriers to increased ridesharing are formidable, that travel time savings must be large in order to attract new carpoolers, and that further increases in capooling will likely require development of extensive HOV lane systems.