Amended in Senate September 9, 2015

Amended in Senate September 4, 2015

Amended in Senate July 6, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 19, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1250

Introduced by Assembly Member Bloom

February 27, 2015

An act to amend Section 35554 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1250, as amended, Bloom. Vehicles: buses: axle weight.

Existing law, operative January 1, 2016, provides that the gross weight on any one axle of a bus shall not exceed 20,500 pounds. Existing law exempts from this limitation a transit bus procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued before January 1, 2013. A violation of this provision is a crime.

This bill would exempt from the weight limitation transit buses procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued before January 1, 2016. The bill would provide that the weight limitation would not apply to a bus purchased during an option period in a multiyear contract to purchase transit buses that is entered into before January 1, 2016, by a publicly owned or operated transit system, or an operator of a transit system under contract with a publicly owned or operated transit system, provided that the option period does not exceed 5 years from the date of the original contract, or extend beyond January 1, 2021, whichever is earlier. This bill would also establish certain weight limitations for transit buses procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued at a specified time. The bill would provide that these provisions do not authorize the operation of a transit bus on a bridge or certain other structures if the gross weight of the transit bus is greater than the maximum weight which the bridge or other structure can safely sustain. begin insert The bill would require, if the gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels on any one axle of a transit bus exceeds 20,000 pounds, the axle to be supported by 4 wheels bearing load upon the highway. end insert Because a violation of these provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would require a transit operator operating an articulated bus to provide notice, by July 1, 2016, to all cities and counties in whose jurisdiction the bus will operate in the upcoming calendar year, of the approximate routes upon which the bus will operate. The bill would also require an annual notice by July 1 thereafter to all cities and counties under whose jurisdiction the bus will operate, identifying any changes to the service on those routes or any new routes upon which the bus is expected to be scheduled for the upcoming calendar year.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 35554 of the Vehicle Code, as amended
by Section 2 of Chapter 263 of the Statutes of 2014, is amended
to read:

35554.  

(a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 35550, the maximum
gross weight on any one axle of a bus shall not exceed 20,500
pounds.

(2) This subdivision does not apply to a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued before January 1, 2016. This subdivision does not apply to
a bus purchased during an option period in a multiyear contract to
purchase transit buses that is entered into before January 1, 2016,
by a publicly owned or operated transit system, or an operator of
a transit system under contract with a publicly owned or operated
transit system, provided, however, that the option period does not
exceed five years from the date of the original contract, or extend
beyond January 1, 2021, whichever is earlier.

(b) A transit bus is not subject to Section 35550.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the following provisions
shall apply to a transit bus:

(1) The begin delete unladen end delete begin insert curb end insert weight on any one axle of a transit bus
procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a
solicitation was issued between January 1, 2016, and December
31, begin delete 2017, end delete begin insert 2018, inclusive, end insert shall not exceed begin delete 25,000 end delete begin insert 23,000 end insert pounds.

begin delete

(2) The unladen weight on any one axle of a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019, shall
not exceed 24,000 pounds.

(3) The unladen weight on any one axle of a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, shall
not exceed 23,000 pounds.

end delete begin delete

(4)

end delete

begin insert (2) end insert  The begin delete unladen end delete begin insert curb end insert weight on any one axle of a transit bus
procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a
solicitation was issued on or after January 1, begin delete 2022, end delete begin insert 2019, end insert shall not
exceed 22,000 pounds.

begin insert

(d) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) and (c), the following
provisions shall apply to an articulated transit bus or zero-emission
transit bus:

end insert begin insert

(1) The curb weight on any one axle of an articulated transit
bus or zero-emission transit bus procured through a solicitation
process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued between
January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, inclusive, shall not
exceed 25,000 pounds.

end insert begin insert

(2) The curb weight on any one axle of an articulated transit
bus or zero-emission transit bus procured through a solicitation
process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued between
January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019, inclusive, shall not
exceed 24,000 pounds.

end insert begin insert

(3) The curb weight on any one axle of an articulated transit
bus or zero-emission transit bus procured through a solicitation
process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued between
January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, inclusive, shall not
exceed 23,000 pounds.

end insert begin insert

(4) The curb weight on any one axle of an articulated transit
bus or zero-emission transit bus procured through a solicitation
process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued on or after
January 1, 2022, shall not exceed 22,000 pounds.

end insert begin delete

(d)

end delete

begin insert (e) end insert  Nothing in this article shall be construed to authorize a
vehicle described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) or described
in subdivision (c) begin insert or (d) end insert to be operated in violation of Section
35753.

begin delete

(e)

end delete

begin insert (f) end insert  A transit operator operating an articulated transit bus shall,
by July 1, 2016, provide notice to all cities and counties in whose
jurisdiction the bus will operate in the upcoming calendar year,
identifying the approximate routes upon which the bus is expected
to be scheduled for service, including the names of streets and
roads upon which that service is likely to take place. Thereafter,
a transit operator operating an articulated transit bus shall annually
provide notice by July 1, to all cities and counties in whose
jurisdiction the bus will operate in the upcoming calendar year,
identifying any changes to the service on those routes and any new
routes upon which the bus is expected to be scheduled for the
upcoming year. The notice shall include data from information
provided by the bus manufacturer to the transit operator, identifying
the weight of the articulated bus.

begin insert

(g) For purposes of this section, the term “curb weight” means
the total weight of a fully loaded transit bus, including maximum
fuel, oil, and coolant, and all equipment used in the normal
operation of the bus, except without passengers or a driver.

end insert begin insert

(h) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) to (g), inclusive, a transit
bus shall not operate on the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of
Interstate and Defense Highways in excess of the weight limitation
for transit buses specified in federal law.

end insert begin insert

(i) If the gross weight imposed upon the highway by the wheels
on any one axle of a transit bus exceeds 20,000 pounds, the axle
shall be supported by four wheels bearing load upon the highway.

end insert

SEC. 2.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.