Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 2304 – School bus seating; doors; standing prohibited
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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1. Seating. A school bus must meet the following seating requirements.
A. The manufacturer’s specified seating capacity is determined by dividing the linear width of each seat by 13 and then rounding the quotient down to the nearest whole number. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. The maximum seating capacity must be the following percentages of the manufacturer’s specified seating capacity:
(1) Grades 9 to 12, 85%;
(2) Grades kindergarten to 12, 95%;
(3) Grades kindergarten to 8, 100%; or
(4) If at least 15 inches of seat width per student, 100%. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. There may not be auxiliary seating accommodations such as temporary or jump seats. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
D. Seats must face the front of the bus and be divided by a center aisle at least 12 inches wide. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
E. Seating capacity must be displayed in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Education. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 2304
- Bus: means a motor vehicle designed for carrying more than 15 persons, including the operator. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 101
- Operator: means an individual who drives or is in control of a vehicle or who is exercising control over or steering a towed vehicle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 101
- Person: means an individual, corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, fiduciary, trust, estate or any other legal or commercial entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 101
- Public way: means a way, owned and maintained by the State, a county or a municipality, over which the general public has a right to pass. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 101
- School: as used in this subchapter , means an institution or facility for the teaching of children or for the custodial care of children, whether public or private, which is regularly attended by such children. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 2301
- School bus: means a:
A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 2301Vehicle: means a device for conveyance of persons or property on a way. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 29-A Sec. 101
2. Doors. A school bus must be equipped with at least 2 doors as follows:
A. One door on the right side near the front for ordinary exits and entrances, which must be equipped with technology to prevent the door from closing on a person‘s limb or other body part if the school bus was manufactured in 2025 or later; and [PL 2023, c. 423, §1 (AMD).]
B. A 2nd door located in the center of the rear or if the engine makes that impossible, on the left side in the center or to the rear of center. The 2nd door must be free of obstruction, clearly marked as an emergency exit, and constructed to open from inside and outside. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
[PL 2023, c. 423, §1 (AMD).]
3. Standing passengers. The operator of a school bus may not permit any passengers to stand when the bus is in motion on a public way.
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
4. Safety seat belts. The operator and passengers in school buses equipped with safety seat belts shall wear those belts when the vehicle is in motion.
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1993, c. 683, §A2 (NEW). PL 1993, c. 683, §B5 (AFF). PL 2023, c. 423, §1 (AMD).