Highway Efficiency Innovation
High-occupancy vehicle lanes - Washington, DC

In 1969, Washington, DC was home to the first high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in the United States. The HOV network is now 185 kilometres long, and is open to buses and to carpools carrying a minimum of either two or three persons, depending on the road. The HOV lanes reduce traffic volumes and speed up bus service. They carry more persons per lane per hour than non-HOV lanes, and offer drivers substantial time savings.