Section 546 Of Division 1. Words And Phrases Defined From California Vehicle Code >> Division 1.
546
. A "school pupil activity bus" is any motor vehicle, other than
a schoolbus, operated by a common carrier, or by and under the
exclusive jurisdiction of a publicly owned or operated transit
system, or by a passenger charter-party carrier, used under a
contractual agreement between a school and carrier to transport
school pupils at or below the 12th-grade level to or from a public or
private school activity, or used to transport pupils to or from
residential schools, when the pupils are received and discharged at
off-highway locations where a parent or adult designated by the
parent is present to accept the pupil or place the pupil on the bus.
As used in this section, common carrier, publicly owned or operated
transit system, and passenger charter-party carrier refer to carriers
in business for the principal purpose of transporting members of the
public on a commercial basis. This section shall not apply to a
motor vehicle operated by a carrier licensed by the Interstate
Commerce Commission that is transporting pupils on a school activity
trip entering or returning to the state from another state or
country.
The driver of a school pupil activity bus shall be subject to the
regulations adopted by the California Highway Patrol governing
schoolbus drivers, except that the regulations shall not require
drivers to duplicate training or schooling that they have otherwise
received which is equivalent to that required pursuant to the
regulations, and the regulations shall not require drivers to take
training in first aid. However, a valid certificate to drive a school
pupil activity bus shall not entitle the bearer to drive a
schoolbus.