Hybrid Stickers to Expire July 1

Drivers of hybrid cars who commute to work on freeways, such as the 405 and the 110, won't be able to drive solo in the carpool lane after June 30, even if they have the yellow decals on their cars, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

The decals, which were established after the state Legislature passed Assembly Bill 2628 in 2004, are scheduled to expire July 1, the DMV said in a news release.

People caught driving solo in the carpool lane after the stickers expire will be cited.

According to the DMV, the department mailed out 85,000 letters at the beginning of May to registered vehicle owners with the yellow decals reminding them of the carpool lane change.

Only 85,000 yellow stickers were available for cars that met California's partial zero emissions standards and earned a 45 mpg or higher fuel economy rating on the highway, such as Toyota Priuses and Honda Civics.

Drivers with white decals on their cars can still use the carpool lanes without passengers until Jan. 1, 2015. The DMV has issued more than 10,000 of those decals to drivers of all-electric and compressed natural gas cars, such as the Tesla Roadster, Nissan Leaf or Honda Civic GX.

The DMV plans to begin issuing a new series of clean air decals in 2012, but specific cars that qualify for the new program haven't been identified, according to the department.