Regulatory signs
Bus and HOV lane
What it means
A reserved lane for buses and high occupancy vehicles (HOVs). The sign may also state how many people must be in a vehicle for it to use the lane.
White with black or red; a red circle with a slash means prohibited, a green circle means permitted.
Summarised from ICBC’s Learn to Drive Smart. Read the original: Signs signals and road markings ↗
How to recognise it
A black panel with a white diamond on the left, and a bus above a car on white on the right. Tabs may give the hours and the number of people required.
Where you will see it
Over or beside reserved lanes: next to the median or shoulder on freeways and main highways, and usually beside the curb on city streets.
What to do when you see it
- 1.Use the lane only if your vehicle carries at least the minimum number of people the sign states.
- 2.Check when it operates: most HOV lanes run around the clock, but some only at peak times.
- 3.Enter and leave only where broken lines mark a crossing point, and allow for traffic in the lane moving faster than yours.
On the knowledge test
The guide gives no single occupancy number for every HOV lane: the sign states it. Questions check that you read the sign and use the broken-line crossing points.
Practice questions for this sign
What does this reserved lane sign tell you?