The US state of Virginia has radically changed which cars are eligible to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
October 28, 2019
Read time: 1 min
Most of the 16,000 vehicles which carry clean special fuel number plates can no longer use HOV lanes without three or more occupants (HOV 3+).
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles says:
https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#cleanspecialfuel.asp plug-in and electric vehicles such as the Audi A3 e-tron and BMW i3 Sedan still qualify for the privilege.
Additionally, the 1747 Virginia Department of Transportation is to convert HOV lanes on Interstate 395 in northern Virginia to 8217 Express lanes in a move which will require all vehicles except motorcycles and buses to have a properly mounted E-ZPass or E-ZPass Flex. Vehicles bearing a clean special number plate can access the 8217 Express Lanes with a standard E-ZPass or can travel toll-free with an E-ZPass Flex if they meet the HOV 3+ requirement.
E-ZPass and E-ZPass Flex transponders are available at:
https://www.ezpassva.com and at https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/general/#mobileoperations.htmlDMV customer service centres. In addition, E-Z Pass On the Go may be obtained at DMV 2 Go mobile customer service centres.
Bus operator Nobina is to acquire parts of public transport company Örslev Holding to offer special public transport services in Denmark.
The scope of the DKr.15.5 million (£1.8m) deal includes 16 buses which offer regular services in South Zealand coastal area and 21 buses for special needs transportation.
Nobina has also taken steps to transition in the electric mobility space. In 2018, the company deployed 13 electric buses from Volvo Buses in the Swedish city of Malmö. The Volvo 7900 Electric buses
UK residents in Westminster, London, will be able to use Zipcar Flex’s car sharing service for one-way journeys at 29p per minute from early July. The borough’s council has entered into the agreement to provide users with an alternative to car ownership.
Zipcar Flex is available through the company’s app and is capped at £12 per minute. In addition, the company will make 185 cars and vans available for its Round Trip package which it says is suitable for longer weekend or shopping trips.
Ertico – ITS Europe has announced it is to hold the first-ever Central Eastern European Congress next year.
Hosted by the city of Kazan, in south-west Russia, the event will focus on cooperation with Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (which comprises a number of countries formed after the break-up of the Soviet Union) and Central Eastern countries, says Ertico.
It will take place in Kazan, Tatarstan on 21-24 September 2020 and there is a preview of the event in the city next month, on 3-4 Oct
Chinese ride-hailing company DiDi Chuxing is to expand to 14 cities in Chile by the end of the year, according to a report by China Daily.
Mi Yang, DiDi's head of operations in Latin America, says the company is aiming to provide a safe mobility service which will include an emergency hotline allowing passengers to communicate with the team.
DiDi says the service will expand in October to the northern cities of Antofagasta, La Serena and Coquimbo; central cities of Rancagua, Talca, Concepcion and Temuco;
