The California HOV form has been updated!

To continue from my post above---

When I left matters, I had called the DMV and was told that they would have more definitive word later in the day. I called the DMV 800 number a bit after 4pm, and by this time, they actually had a canned response for the question (after punching 1 for English, punch 63). The message reinterated the need for a Fastrak receipt and referenced the Air Resources Board website as a source for more information. Following the links on that site, I was directed to http://www.bayareafastrak.org/static/info/...tructions.shtml for specific information.

The relevant portion of those instructions stated:

"If you are EXCHANGING your existing transponder for a hybrid transponder, please do the following:

STEP 1: Provide the following items to the Customer Service Center, either by mail or in-person:

Your existing transponder.
Your existing FasTrakâ„¢ account number.
A copy of your current vehicle registration that identifies your vehicle as a hybrid (The address on your current vehicle registration MUST match the address of your existing FasTrakâ„¢ account.)
STEP 2: Upon receipt of the information listed above, the FasTrakâ„¢ Customer Service Center will give/send you a Hybrid Vehicle FasTrakâ„¢ Kit, which will contain your new hybrid transponder, a “DMV Decal Application Instruction Sheetâ€, and some Account Verification information. The Account Verification information will contain your new hybrid transponder number, and your hybrid vehicle’s Identification Number (VIN), make/model/year, and license plate number. You will need to provide this information to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to obtain your special decal.

STEP 3: Obtain a special decal from the DMV by submitting the following items to the DMV:

A copy of your Account Verification information provided by the FasTrakâ„¢ Customer Service Center
A completed “Clean Air Vehicle†application form from the DMV. (For complete instructions for obtaining the DMV decal, see the DMV Decal Application Instruction sheet.)"

Because I didn't want to mail my current transponder, I checked the location of the office and its hours. The office is at 575 The Embarcadero (at Broadway) in San Francisco and is open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturday. It was approaching 5pm, and I figured that I could make it over to San Francisco well before 7.

I stepped out of my car at Front and Broadway at 6:06, placed $1.80 in the parking meter (it needs to fed until 7), grabbed my transponder, registration, and a old Fastrak statement that had found last night and walked a block over to the office. There were about 10 people in front of me and only 2 agents serving us. To make a long story slightly shorter, I finally got processed about 6:50. Processing took about 5 minutes in my routine case. I walked out with a new transponder with a green dot attached, and a few pieces of new paper. The receipt for getting the sticker is actually a printout of the account maintenance screen for your account with the relevant information on it. In no way does it resemble the Account Overview from the Fastrak web page.

I asked the agent how the new transponder was different from the one I had turned in. She didn't know, but told me that she had been instructed to use the transponders in a special box for hybrids (by the way, the application for a hybrid transponder has 'Hybrid' printed on it, but is otherwise like a normal one).

So, after making copies of the DMV form and Fastrak receipt, I will be sending in my application in the morning.

One final note:
The person ahead of me had not brought his auto registration to prove that he was getting transponder for a hybrid registered to him. The agent would not complete the paperwork or give him a transponder on the spot. So, no matter how you apply, be complete.

 

aforkosh,
Thanks for your info.

For bay area Prius owners, the process is really unnecessary, tedious and slow (than others). Since I already opened an account yesterday and, of course, don't have my transponder YET, I am caught between openning a new account OR adding a new transponder.... I will have to call them tomorrow and see what they will ask me to do.

One thing is for sure, bay area owners would be the last to get their stickers due to this multi-step process.

 

I've just applied a small correction to my report on visiting the Fastrak office:

The office is open on Saturday from 9 to 1, not Sunday.