The Riverside County Transportation Commission voted to open a public hearing and approve staff recommendations to amend express-lane policy and eliminate the cleaner-vehicle discount on the 91 and 15 express lanes, with staff proposing to stop new enrollments on Oct. 1, 2025 and to implement the change by Jan. 1, 2026.

The change reflects the end of the state decal program used to qualify vehicles and the removal of the statutory requirement that currently applies to a portion of the system, staff said.

The commission heard a presentation from staff about how the discount works today, why it reduces the effectiveness of dynamic congestion pricing and how the statewide decal program and statutory requirement expire Oct. 1, 2025. Staff urged adoption of resolutions to amend each express-lane policy, to stop enrolling new cleaner vehicles on Oct. 1, 2025, to update account agreements, and to provide 30 days' notice to customers ahead of implementation.

"The 15 express lanes is required by statute to give a cleaner vehicle discount, and the commission adopted a policy by resolution to give a 15% discount," staff said during the presentation. Staff told commissioners the statutory requirement will no longer be in effect on Oct. 1, 2025 and that the DMV "decal program in the state is also ending on 10/01/2025." The presenter said that without the decal there will be no basis for qualifying vehicles for the cleaner-vehicle discount.

Commissioners asked for clarity about public outreach and timing. Staff said customers will receive direct communication and that the commission is required to give account holders 30 days' advance notice of changes to account agreements. Staff recommended suspending new enrollments Oct. 1, 2025 so the agency does not continue registering vehicles while the DMV program is ending, and then removing the discount in the toll systems by Jan. 1, 2026 after software and outreach steps are complete.

Several commissioners and committee members cautioned that federal action could alter the timeline. A member representing Corona noted that the toll policy committee had discussed the item and recommended including language in the resolution to make it void if federal law changes. Staff confirmed such language was included in the draft resolution: if Congress or another authority extends the statutory requirement, the commission could reverse the change.

Staff also estimated the discount value and prevalence: zero-emission vehicles represented about 6% of trips on the 91 express lanes and the 91 facility provides roughly $7.7 million in zero-emission vehicle discounts annually; the 15 express lanes discounts were estimated at about $800,000 annually.

The commission received no public speaker cards on the item and closed the hearing before taking a roll-call vote. A motion to approve staff recommendations was moved and seconded; the roll-call vote recorded a majority of "yes" votes and the item passed.

Commissioners directed staff to return with required contract/agreement language changes, a 30-day notification plan for account holders, and the technical schedule to update toll systems. Staff said it will coordinate messaging with other statewide toll operators and perform outreach to account holders and walk-in customers.

Implementation and next steps: the commission approved the resolutions to amend express-lane policies and directed staff to 1) stop enrolling new cleaner vehicles Oct. 1, 2025, 2) update express-lane account agreements and toll systems, and 3) provide 30 days' notice to affected customers prior to operational change, with an operational target date of Jan. 1, 2026.