107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2546
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 Representa-
tives 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 2001’’.
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 sub-
division 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 transpor-
tation service if the motor carrier providing such
service—
‘‘(A) meets all applicable registration re-
quirements under chapter 139 for the interstate
transportation of passengers;
‘‘(B) meets all applicable vehicle and intra-
state passenger 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) travel from one State, including
intermediate stops, to a destination in an-
other State; or
‘‘(ii) travel from one State, including
one or more intermediate stops in another
State, to a destination in the original
State.
‘‘(2) MATTERS NOT COVERED.—Nothing in this
subsection shall be construed—
‘‘(A) as subjecting taxicab service to regu-
lation under chapter 135 or section 31138;
‘‘(B) as prohibiting or restricting an air-
port, train, or bus terminal operator from con-
tracting to provide preferential access or facili-
ties 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
that any individual operating a vehicle pro-
viding prearranged ground transportation serv-
ice originating in the State or political subdivi-
sion have submitted to a criminal background
investigation of the records of the State in
which the operator is domiciled, by the motor
carrier providing such service or by the State or
political subdivision by which the operator is li-
censed to provide 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 fol-
lowing:
‘‘(17) PRE-ARRANGED
GROUND
TRANSPOR-
TATION SERVICE.—The term ‘pre-arranged ground
transportation service’ means transportation for a
passenger (or a group of passengers) that is ar-
ranged 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 re-
designated) the following:
‘‘(20) TAXICAB
SERVICE.—The term ‘taxicab
service’ means passenger transportation in a motor
vehicle having a capacity of not more than 8 pas-
sengers (including the driver), not operated 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 determined (except with respect to
transportation to or from airports) pri-
marily on the basis of the distance trav-
eled; and
‘‘(ii) does not primarily provide trans-
portation to or from airports.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) MOTOR
CARRIER
TRANSPORTATION.—Sec-
tion 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: