Meeting the HOV requirement in the D.C. suburbs is achieved through a practice called "slugging." Since the 70s, slug lines have been helping commuters beat rising gas prices.
This method of self-regulated public transportation saves hundreds in parking, tolls and fuel, as well as hours sitting in traffic in the regular lanes or on a rail line. Creating a successful slug line operation requires a few different variables to fall in place, and the Washington D.C. area seems to have this down to a science, as 6500 commuters travel this way every day.
"It originated during the gas crunch in the early 1970s, when carpoolers in the northern Virginia suburbs unexpectedly found themselves short a passenger. Cruising past a bus stop, they would offer anyone waiting there a free ride in exchange for the extra body that would grant them access to the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. Bus drivers dubbed these pseudo-carpoolers "slugs," after the fake coins used to scam free bus rides."
Thanks to Perry Espardinez
FULL STORY: Where the Fastest Commuters Are Slugs
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