Turns, lanes, passing and parking
Signs mark the right-hand lane of a street for public transit buses only. Which of these may you do in your car?
- Cross the bus lane to make a right turn. Correct answer
- Stop in the bus lane briefly to let a passenger out.
- Drive in the bus lane for up to 200 feet before your turn.
Why
A lane designated for public transit buses is off-limits to driving, stopping, parking or leaving a vehicle, and signs tell you when a lane is for buses only. A quick passenger drop-off is still a stop, so it is not allowed. The one thing the handbook does permit is crossing the bus lane to make a right turn. The 200 feet in the third option comes from bicycle lanes, where you may drive within 200 feet of an intersection in order to turn; the bus lane rule has no distance like that.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Cross the bus lane to make a right turn.
The rule behind this one
Turns, lanes, passing and parking in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- You are stopped, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so you can turn left. Which way should your front wheels point?
- You are joining traffic on the highway. How much space does the handbook say you need in order to merge?
- Where does the handbook say you must NOT pass another vehicle?
- To parallel park, you pull up alongside the vehicle parked in front of the empty space. About how much room should you leave between the two vehicles?