Bay Area's 'Casual Carpool' making a comeback as state's 'Clean Air Decal' program expiring soon

Bay Area drivers, some changes are on the horizon, and it could affect how you deal with the massive congestion on our freeways.

The changes include reviving "Casual Carpool," expiring the federal "Clean Air Decal" program and increasing gas prices.

Ask anyone about traffic in the Bay Area and you'll get a similar response.

"It's traffic all the time," said Lauren Shannon, a Bay Area resident.

"Traffic has gotten worse for sure," said Imran Jami, a San Francisco resident.

RELATED: California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal program could be coming to an end soon

"5-6-7 a.m. it starts to clog up," said Admin, a Bay Area resident.

People have resorted to different measures to save money and curb the stress from driving in traffic.

"I switched electric three years ago," Admin said.

"I have to BART in. I wish I could drive. But that takes one-and-a-half hours-plus to get into the city. And once you're in, it's a nightmare," Shannon said.

At a time when BART, Muni and public transit agencies are grappling with low ridership and need federal funding, people are looking for transportation alternatives.

MORE: California exploring getting rid of the gas tax, replacing it with road charge program

A grassroots effort is underway to restart "Casual Carpool" from the East Bay. Commuters would line up at designated spots and wait for a driver to pick them up.

"What I loved most about 'Casual Carpool' is the flexibly it gave to people. You are not chasing after BART. You are not chasing after a bus," said organizer Camille Bermudez.

The program faded away during the pandemic when work-from-home changed the commuting landscape.

Bermudez said nearly 400 interested participants have signed up. The hope is to secure 1,000 respondents and maybe start by mid-August.

"Right now, as far as our next steps, we need to get that survey out to people. It's a community-decided start date," Bermudez said.

MORE: It's 2025 and Bay Area bridge tolls are now $1 more expensive

At the same time, the "Clean Air Vehicle Decal Program" -- also known as the HOV lane sticker program -- is set to expire Sept. 30 if Congress doesn't take action.

More than 400,000 drivers in California have one of these decals. Many people bought their clean air vehicles to speed up their commute.

"We know that access to the HOV lanes is a big incentive for people to buy or lease electric vehicles. And if the decal program disappears, so too will that incentive," said MTC Spokesperson John Goodwin.

That could add to public transportation crowds and make traffic even worse.

"It could put more people back into the mixed flow lanes and exacerbate the congestion," Goodwin said.

Some hope "Casual Carpool" can help alleviate that problem.