AB 828: Vehicles: transportation services.

Existing law establishes the Public Utilities Commission and designates the duties of the commission, including regulating specified transportation carriers.

This bill would require the commission to conduct an investigation to consider whether existing statutes and regulations relating to for-hire passenger transportation services serve the public interest, encourage innovation, and create a fair and competitive transportation market between among companies that provide regulated transportation services. The bill would require the commission to complete the investigation and report its conclusions and recommendations to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017.

Existing law defines commercial vehicle, for the purposes of the Vehicle Code, as a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under that code that is used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit or designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. Existing law, the Passenger Charter-party Carriers Act, provides for the regulation of transportation network companies by the Public Utilities Commission. Existing law defines a transportation network company to mean an organization, including, but not limited to, a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, sole proprietor, or any other entity, operating in California that provides prearranged transportation services for compensation using an online-enabled application or platform to connect passengers with drivers using a personal vehicle.

This bill, until January 1, 2018, would exclude from the definition of commercial vehicle, for purposes of the Vehicle Code, any motor vehicle operated in connection with a transportation network company, if specified conditions are satisfied.