Allowing certain vans and pickups to be used to transport pupils to activity events or from school to home in emergency situations

Administrative rules of the department of education regulate type III vehicles used as school buses.2(5), type III vehicles are not regular school buses but are used to transport students in a school-related context and may be marked as a school bus. A type III vehicle is a van or passenger car, including a minivan, sport utility vehicle, or station wagon. The difference between a family automobile and an equivalent type III vehicle is not the vehicle itself, but rather its use, as type III vehicles are used by schools for purposes of student transportation. To qualify as a type III vehicle, the vehicle must carry a maximum of nine or fewer people, including the driver, and weigh 10,000 pounds or less.5(1), vehicles classified as pickups are not allowed to be used for student transportation.5(1)(d)).5(2)(j)).14).8). §30112(a)(1) prohibits the manufacture, sale, or import of a motor vehicle that does not comply with applicable motor vehicle safety standards if the vehicle was manufactured on or after the date an applicable safety standard took effect. The provision does not apply after the first purchase of the motor vehicle in good faith other than for resale. Therefore, the provision prohibits the sale of a new motor vehicle for use as a school bus if the motor vehicle does not meet applicable federal safety standards for school buses. Under federal law, a school bus is a passenger motor vehicle designed to carry a driver and more than 10 passengers that is used significantly to transport students to or from school or an event related to school. PICKUPS. This bill requires the administrative rules to allow pickups designed to carry nine passengers or less, including the driver, and weighing 10,000 pounds or less, to be used as school buses.1, a “pickup” is any motor vehicle designed to carry merchandise or freight of any kind, not to exceed 2,000 pounds. The bill prohibits the pickup from carrying more passengers than there are safety belts or safety harnesses in the pickup as installed by the manufacturer, and from operating while any passenger is present in the bed of the pickup.376 (license, authorization, and instruction requirement), other than the requirement to obtain a commercial driver’s license. However, the bill provides that the rules must allow the board of directors of a school district to prohibit the use of pickups as school buses by the school district. PASSENGER VANS.1 used passenger vans designed to carry not more than 12 persons as passengers, including the driver. The bill requires the administrative rules to allow used passenger vans designed to carry 12 or fewer passengers, including the driver, and weighing 10,000 pounds or less, to be used as school buses if the van does not carry more passengers than there are safety belts or safety harnesses in the van as installed by the manufacturer.376. LIMITATION.1 that excludes such vehicles from the definition of “school bus”, namely that such vehicles must be used to transport pupils to activity events in which the pupils are participants or used to transport pupils to their homes in case of illness or other emergency situations, and must be operated by an employee of the school district who is specifically approved by the local superintendent of schools for the assignment.