New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 16 - TRANSPORTATION › Chapter 53 - AUTOBUSES › Subchapter 3 - AUTOBUS SPECIFICATIONS › Section 16:53-3.1 - Scope

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) Except as
				otherwise herein provided, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission hereby
				adopts and incorporates by reference the rules pertaining to the safety of
				equipment promulgated by the United States Department of Transportation set
				forth in 49 CFR Part 393, as amended and supplemented. A copy of 49 CFR Part
				393 may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, United States
				Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, (866) 512-1800.
(b) The specifications set forth in this
				subchapter shall apply to all autobuses engaged in interstate or intrastate
				common carrier service that are subject to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
				Commission's jurisdiction and for which certificates of compliance of the New
				Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission are required.
(c) Any autobus in operation or acquired
				prior to September 1, 2002 and for which the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
				Commission or the New Jersey Department of Transportation has issued a
				certificate of compliance or an amended certificate of compliance may continue
				in service as designed, constructed, and equipped at the time the certificate
				of compliance or amended certificate of compliance was issued except as
				otherwise provided in this subchapter. Any autobus in operation in a foreign
				jurisdiction or acquired prior to September 1, 2002 and for which the New
				Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or the New Jersey Department of Transportation
				has not issued a certificate of compliance shall be certified in accordance
				with the specifications in effect prior to September 1, 2002. Any autobus for
				which a contract of sale or purchase order was entered into before September 1,
				2002, and any new autobus that was in manufacturer or dealer inventory before
				September 1, 2002, shall be certified in accordance with the specifications in
				effect prior to September 1, 2002.
(d) Any autobus in operation or acquired
				between September 3, 2002 and March 31, 2008 and for which the New Jersey Motor
				Vehicle Commission or the New Jersey Department of Transportation has issued a
				certificate of compliance or an amended certificate of compliance may continue
				in service as designed, constructed, and equipped at the time the certificate
				of compliance or amended certificate of compliance was issued. Any autobus in
				operation in a foreign jurisdiction or acquired between September 3, 2002 and
				March 31, 2008 and for which the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or the New
				Jersey Department of Transportation has not issued a certificate of compliance
				shall be certified in accordance with the specifications in effect from
				September 3, 2002 through March 31, 2008. Any autobus for which a contract of
				sale or purchase order was entered into between September 3, 2002 and March 31,
				2008, and any new autobus that was in manufacturer or dealer inventory between
				September 3, 2002 and March 31, 2008, shall be certified in accordance with the
				specifications in effect from September 3, 2002 through March 31,
				2008.
(e) Notwithstanding (c) and
				(d) above, this section shall not be deemed to exempt any autobus from any
				applicable requirements imposed upon such vehicles by the Americans With
				Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Specifications For Transportation Vehicles
				as set forth in 49 CFR Part 37 and Part 38, incorporated herein by reference,
				as amended and supplemented.
(f)
				For purposes of this subchapter, an autobus shall be defined as a motor vehicle
				used in the transportation of passengers for hire having a seating capacity of
				26 or more passengers, not including the driver, except as otherwise provided
				in N.J.A.C. 16:53-4. For purposes of this subchapter, an articulated vehicle is
				a single unit.
(g) For purposes of
				this subchapter, when referring to gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), the
				weight of each passenger shall be deemed to be 150 pounds.
(h) For purposes of this subchapter, the
				right or left side of an autobus shall be determined by reference to the driver
				when sitting in a forward-facing position in the driver's seat.