2022 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 14 - Motor Vehicles. Use of the Highway by Vehicles. Gasoline
Chapter 248 - Vehicle Highway Use
Section 14-276. - School bus operators to hold a valid passenger and school endorsement. Duties of carrier re registration and withdrawal, suspension or revocation of employee's operator's license or endorsement to operate a school bus or student transportation vehicles. Civil penalties.

(a) Registered school buses while transporting school children shall be operated by holders of a valid passenger and school endorsement issued in accordance with section 14-44. Such endorsement shall be held in addition to the commercial driver's license required for the operation of such motor vehicles. A person who has attained the age of seventy shall be allowed to hold a passenger and school endorsement for the purpose of operating a school bus, provided such person meets the minimum physical requirements set by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and agrees to submit to a physical examination at least twice a year or when requested to do so by the superintendent of the school system in which such person intends to operate a school bus. Any person to whom a town has awarded a contract for the transportation of school children who permits the operation of a registered school bus while transporting school children by any person who does not hold a passenger and school endorsement shall be fined not less than two thousand five hundred dollars or more than five thousand dollars.

(b) On and after October 1, 2019, each carrier engaged in the transportation of students shall register with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles in a manner prescribed by the commissioner. Registration shall include the carrier's name, address and the name of the employee or agent assigned to perform the carrier's responsibilities under subsection (c) of this section. A carrier shall file amendments to the registration to report to the commissioner any material change in any information contained in the registration not later than thirty calendar days after the carrier knows or reasonably should know of the material change.

(c) Not less than once during the first and third week of each month, a carrier shall review the report made by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (h) of section 14-44, with reference to the name and motor vehicle operator's license number of each person such carrier employs to operate a school bus, as defined in section 14-275, or a student transportation vehicle, as defined in section 14-212. If, according to such report, any such employee's motor vehicle operator's license or endorsement to operate a school bus or student transportation vehicle has been withdrawn, suspended or revoked, such carrier shall immediately prohibit such employee from operating a school bus or student transportation vehicle.

(d) Any carrier who fails to register with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or review the report made by the commissioner, pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, shall be subject to a civil penalty of one thousand dollars for the first violation, and two thousand five hundred dollars for each subsequent violation. Any carrier who fails to take immediate action to prohibit the operation of a school bus or student transportation vehicle by an operator who appears on a report, pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, shall be subject to a civil penalty of two thousand five hundred dollars for the first violation, and five thousand dollars for each subsequent violation. Upon appropriate justification presented to the commissioner by any carrier, the commissioner may make a determination to reduce any such penalty.

(1955, S. 1320d; 1967, P.A. 859; 1969, P.A. 110, S. 2; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 21; P.A. 81-256, S. 1; S.A. 81-57, S. 4, 5; P.A. 82-223, S. 21; P.A. 83-340, S. 1, 4; 83-577, S. 26; P.A. 90-263, S. 29, 74; P.A. 93-341, S. 27, 38; P.A. 94-189, S. 19, 34; P.A. 06-130, S. 11; P.A. 07-217, S. 53; 07-224, S. 3; P.A. 11-213, S. 41; P.A. 18-164, S. 12; P.A. 19-119, S. 7.)

History: 1967 act prohibited persons 70 or older from holding license to operate school bus; 1969 act required minimum age of 19 for holding license to operate school bus; 1972 act deleted minimum age requirement; P.A. 81-256 removed provision which had made board of education members subject to fine for permitting unlicensed person to transport children and added Subsec. (b) requiring commissioner to furnish names of those whose licenses are suspended or revoked upon request; S.A. 81-57 revised effective date of P.A. 81-256 but did not change October 1, 1981, effective date of amendments to this section; P.A. 82-223 amended Subsec. (a) by lowering the maximum fine from $100 to $90 and added Subsec. (c) to specify that violation of the section is an infraction; P.A. 83-340 amended Subsec. (a) to allow a person age 70 or older to operate a school bus provided he meets physical requirements set by the commissioner and agrees to take a physical examination at least twice a year, where previously operation of bus by person 70 or older was prohibited; P.A. 83-577 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing the minimum fine from $25 to $35; P.A. 90-263 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to substitute public passenger transportation permits for public service operators' licenses and to insert commercial driver's license in lieu of regular operator's license in Subsec. (a); P.A. 93-341 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to replace references to public passenger transportation permits with references to passenger and school endorsements, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 94-189 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 06-130 deleted former Subsec. (b) which had required commissioner to furnish names of those whose passenger and school endorsements are suspended or revoked and redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as new Subsec. (b); P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective July 12, 2007; P.A. 07-224 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing minimum fine from $35 to $2,500 and maximum fine from $90 to $5,000, deleted former Subsec. (b) re infraction and added new Subsecs. (b) re review of report by carrier and prohibiting employees whose operator's license or school bus or student transportation vehicle endorsement has been withdrawn, suspended or revoked from operating such vehicles and (c) re civil penalties for failure to review report or remove employee as operator of a school bus or student transportation vehicle, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 11-213 amended Subsec. (c) to change time limit for removal of operator from 10 days to 48 hours, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 18-164 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “twice per month” with “once during the first and third week of each month” re review of report, and add “immediately” re carrier to prohibit employee from operating school bus or student transportation vehicle, and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing provision re carrier who fails to remove operator not later than 48 hours after reviewing report employees whose license or endorsement to operate school bus or student transportation vehicle that has been withdrawn, suspended or revoked with provision re carrier who fails to take immediate action to prohibit operation of school bus or student transportation vehicle by operator who appears on report, effective July 1, 2018; P.A. 19-119 added new Subsec. (b) re registration of carrier, redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d) and amended redesignated Subsec. (d) by adding provision re failure of carrier to register with commissioner and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2019.

See Sec. 14-44 re commissioner's authority to furnish names and license numbers of operators with withdrawn, suspended or revoked licenses or endorsements.

See Sec. 14-107 re liability of owner, operator or lessee of vehicle.

History: P.A. 18-185 effective July 1, 2018.