H. R. 2546
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two
An Act
To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit States from requiring a license
or fee on account of the fact that a motor vehicle is providing interstate pre-
arranged ground transportation service, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Real Interstate Driver Equity
Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. REGULATION OF INTERSTATE PRE-ARRANGED GROUND
TRANSPORTATION SERVICE.
Section 14501 of title 49, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(d) PRE-ARRANGED GROUND TRANSPORTATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No State or political subdivision thereof
and no interstate agency or other political agency of 2 or
more States shall enact or enforce any law, rule, regulation,
standard or other provision having the force and effect of law
requiring a license or fee on account of the fact that a motor
vehicle is providing pre-arranged ground transportation service
if the motor carrier providing such service—
‘‘(A) meets all applicable registration requirements
under chapter 139 for the interstate transportation of pas-
sengers;
‘‘(B) meets all applicable vehicle and intrastate pas-
senger licensing requirements of the State or States in
which the motor carrier is domiciled or registered to do
business; and
‘‘(C) is providing such service pursuant to a contract
for—
‘‘(i) transportation by the motor carrier from one
State, including intermediate stops, to a destination
in another State; or
‘‘(ii) transportation by the motor carrier from one
State, including intermediate stops in another State,
to a destination in the original State.
‘‘(2) INTERMEDIATE STOP DEFINED.—In this section, the term
‘intermediate stop’, with respect to transportation by a motor
carrier, means a pause in the transportation in order for one
or more passengers to engage in personal or business activity,
but only if the driver providing the transportation to such
passenger or passengers does not, before resuming the transpor-
tation of such passenger (or at least 1 of such passengers),
H. R. 2546—2
provide transportation to any other person not included among
the passengers being transported when the pause began.
‘‘(3) MATTERS NOT COVERED.—Nothing in this subsection
shall be construed—
‘‘(A) as subjecting taxicab service to regulation under
chapter 135 or section 31138;
‘‘(B) as prohibiting or restricting an airport, train, or
bus terminal operator from contracting to provide pref-
erential access or facilities to one or more providers of
pre-arranged ground transportation service; and
‘‘(C) as restricting the right of any State or political
subdivision of a State to require, in a nondiscriminatory
manner, that any individual operating a vehicle providing
prearranged ground transportation service originating in
the State or political subdivision have submitted to pre-
licensing drug testing or a criminal background investiga-
tion of the records of the State in which the operator
is domiciled, by the State or political subdivision by which
the operator is licensed to provide such service, or by
the motor carrier providing such service, as a condition
of providing such service.’’.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 13102 of title 49, United States Code,
is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (17), (18), (19), (20), (21),
and (22) as paragraphs (18), (19), (21), (22), (23), and (24),
respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (16) the following:
‘‘(17) PRE-ARRANGED GROUND TRANSPORTATION SERVICE.—
The term ‘pre-arranged ground transportation service’ means
transportation for a passenger (or a group of passengers) that
is arranged in advance (or is operated on a regular route
or between specified points) and is provided in a motor vehicle
with a seating capacity not exceeding 15 passengers (including
the driver).’’; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (19) (as so redesignated)
the following:
‘‘(20) TAXICAB SERVICE.—The term ‘taxicab service’ means
passenger transportation in a motor vehicle having a capacity
of not more than 8 passengers (including the driver), not oper-
ated on a regular route or between specified places, and that—
‘‘(A) is licensed as a taxicab by a State or a local
jurisdiction; or
‘‘(B) is offered by a person that—
‘‘(i) provides local transportation for a fare deter-
mined (except with respect to transportation to or from
airports) primarily on the basis of the distance trav-
eled; and
‘‘(ii) does not primarily provide transportation to
or from airports.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) MOTOR CARRIER TRANSPORTATION.—Section 13506(a)(2)
of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(2) a motor vehicle providing taxicab service;’’.
(2) 
MINIMUM
FINANCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY.—Section
31138(e)(2) of such title is amended to read as follows:
H. R. 2546—3
‘‘(2) providing taxicab service (as defined in section 13102);’’.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.