Get there sooner in the HOV lane: how taxis use it in Madrid

A VAO lane (vehículos de alta ocupación, a high-occupancy vehicle or HOV lane) is a lane reserved for buses and for cars carrying a minimum number of occupants, designed so that they move faster than the rest of the traffic at the busiest times. In Madrid, the best-known example is the A-6 BUS-VAO, the central lane of the north-west motorway, and the taxi is one of the vehicles the DGT (Spain's traffic authority) allows on it. For a journey to the airport from Las Rozas, Majadahonda, Pozuelo or Aravaca, it can help you dodge the tailbacks into the city, depending on the route and the time.

The idea is simple: if at rush hour most cars carry just one person, rewarding those that are full reduces the number of vehicles on the road. The HOV lane is signposted showing how many people must be on board to use it, and those who meet the requirement travel in a lane that flows more freely than the others.

As well as vehicles with enough occupants, these lanes allow buses and other categories determined by the DGT, such as taxis or, under certain conditions, vehicles with the zero-emissions or ECO environmental label. The exact conditions are published and signposted, and they may change.

The A-6 high-occupancy lane runs along the central reservation of the motorway between the Las Rozas area and Moncloa, physically separated from the other lanes. It has one feature that makes it special: it is reversible. In the morning it runs towards Madrid, when most journeys are heading into the city, and in the afternoon it runs outbound.

It pays to be realistic here. The A-6 BUS-VAO ends at Moncloa, and Barajas is at the other end of the city. To get to the airport from the north-west there are several possible routes, along the A-6 itself towards the M-30 or via the outer ring roads, and the fastest depends on the day and time. The HOV lane helps when the chosen route goes through Moncloa and coincides with the time slot when it runs towards Madrid.

The typical case is a morning flight from towns such as Las Rozas, Majadahonda or Pozuelo de Alarcón, or from the Aravaca neighbourhood, when the way into Madrid is gridlocked. On each journey the driver weighs up whether it is worth using it or taking another road.

Does it change the price?

It depends on how you pay. In a metered taxi, travelling in a free-flowing lane means less time stopped and therefore a lower fare. On our fixed-price transfers, the amount is the same whether the taxi uses the HOV lane or any other route: what you gain is time and peace of mind.

1. Book your pickup time with a margin, especially if your flight leaves first thing and coincides with the rush of traffic into Madrid. If you are going to T4, we help you work it out in how early you need to arrive at Barajas T4.
2. State your terminal when booking, so the driver can choose the right route and access road.
3. Have your luggage ready at the agreed time: the minutes lost at the front door cannot be made up in the HOV lane.
4. Check out other tips for not arriving late in how to avoid delays when taking a taxi to the airport.

The HOV lane is just one of the traffic rules that affect taxis; the rest, such as city bus lanes or low-emission zones, are covered in the latest changes to traffic regulations.