California Code of Regulations › Title 13 - Motor Vehicles › Division 2 - Department of the California Highway Patrol › Chapter 6.5 - Motor Carrier Safety › Article 8 - General Equipment Requirements › Section 1269.1 - Equipment for Transporting Wheelchairs

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
Equipment installed after January 1, 1980, on any bus,
					 except a schoolbus, for transporting handicapped persons in wheelchairs shall
					 meet the following requirements:
(a)
				  Wheelchair Lift--Wheelchair lifts installed on such buses shall comply with
				  Chapter 4, Article 15 of this title, commencing with Section
				  1090 and shall be installed as
				  follows:
(1) Gaps--On a bus in use, gaps
				  between the platform and the bus in areas over which a wheelchair can roll
				  shall not be greater than 15 mm (0.60 in.) horizontally or greater than 6 mm
				  (0.24 in.) vertically.
(2) Effect
				  on Gross Vehicle Weight--Installation of a wheelchair lift shall not cause the
				  manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating, gross axle weight rating, or tire
				  rating to be exceeded.
(3)
				  Padding--Except in locations within (3.1 in.) of the bus floor, all readily
				  accessible exposed edges or other hazardous protrusions on parts of lifts
				  assemblies located in the passenger compartment or parts of the bus associated
				  with the operation of the lift shall be padded with energy absorbing material
				  to minimize injury in normal use and in case of accident. Padding is not
				  required on buses on which each passenger seating position is equipped with a
				  passenger restraint system, which complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
				  Standard 208.S7, published in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 571,
				  October 1, 1995. On buses where padding is not installed, operators shall
				  ensure that each passenger transported is properly secured by the restraint
				  system at all times when the bus is in motion.
(4) Control Location--The controls for
				  deploying, lowering, raising, and stowing the lift and moving the barrier shall
				  be at a location where the bus driver or lift attendant has a full view,
				  unobstructed by passengers, of the lift platform, its entrance and exit, and
				  the wheelchair passenger, either directly or with partial assistance of
				  mirrors. Lifts entirely to the rear of the driver's seat shall not be operable
				  from the driver's seat but shall have an override control at the driver's
				  position that can be set to prevent the lift from being operated by the other
				  controls (except for emergency manual operation upon power failure).
(5) Control Interlock.
(A) Except as provided in subsection (B) or
				  (C), wheelchair lift controls shall be interlocked with the parking brake(s),
				  the front or rear service brakes, and with the accelerator or transmission so
				  the bus cannot be moved when the lift is not stowed and so the lift cannot be
				  deployed unless the interlock is engaged. An accelerator or transmission
				  interlock is not required for buses in which the engine must be turned off to
				  operate the wheelchair lift controls.
(B) Buses manufactured prior to January 1,
				  1983, using hydraulic fluid pressure at the wheels for applying the service
				  brakes, shall have the wheelchair lift controls interlocked with the parking
				  brakes or the front or rear service brakes, so the lift cannot be deployed
				  unless the interlock is engaged.
(C) As an alternative to the requirements in
				  (A), on buses equipped with hydraulic brakes, an interlock system which
				  complies with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements in Title
				  49, Code of Federal Regulations, Section
				  38.23(b)(2), as
				  published October 1, 1995, will be deemed to comply with the interlock
				  requirements of this section subject to the provisions of 1., 2., 3., and 4.
				  below:
1. The driver must set the vehicle's
				  parking brake before activating the lift control(s).
2. The bus must be equipped with an
				  electrical warning device, clearly audible or visible from the driver's seating
				  position, which is activated at all times when the lift is not stowed and the
				  ignition or run switch is in the "on" or "run" position.
3. If a transmission interlock is utilized,
				  the transmission must be interlocked in the "Park" position.
4. A door interlock will satisfy the
				  requirement only if the door is also interlocked with the vehicle's brakes or
				  transmission in a manner that meets the performance criteria set forth in (A),
				  above.
(6)
				  Certification--When the bus manufacturer or installer uses controls not
				  supplied by the lift manufacturer or modifies the certified lift, the
				  modifications shall comply with the wheelchair lift regulations, and the bus
				  manufacturer or the installer shall so certify. The wheelchair lift shall be
				  installed so the lift manufacturer's certification label, and the bus
				  manufacturer's or installer's certification label, when appropriate, is readily
				  visible and readable. The label(s) shall be maintained in good
				  condition.