Section 5353.
Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 5353.
in effectThis chapter does not apply to any of the following:
(a)
Transportation service rendered wholly within the corporate limits of a single city or city and county and licensed or regulated by ordinance.
(b)
Transportation of school pupils conducted by or under contract with the governing board of any school district entered into pursuant to the Education Code.
(c)
Common carrier transportation services between fixed termini or over a regular route that are subject to authorization pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 1031) of Chapter 5 of Part 1 of Division 1.
(d)
Transportation services occasionally afforded for farm employees moving to and from farms on which employed when the transportation is performed by the employer in an owned or leased vehicle, or by a nonprofit agricultural cooperative association organized and acting within the scope of its powers under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 54001) of Division 20 of the Food and Agricultural Code, and without any requirement for the payment of compensation therefor by the employees.
(e)
Transportation service rendered by a publicly owned transit system.
(f)
Passenger vehicles carrying passengers on a noncommercial enterprise basis.
(g)
Taxicab transportation service licensed and regulated by a city or county, by ordinance or resolution, rendered in vehicles designed for carrying not more than eight persons excluding the driver.
(h)
Transportation of persons between home and work locations or of persons having a common work-related trip purpose in a vehicle having a seating capacity of 15 passengers or less, including the driver, which are used for the purpose of ridesharing, as defined in Section 522 of the Vehicle Code, when the ridesharing is incidental to another purpose of the driver. This exemption also applies to a vehicle having a seating capacity of more than 15 passengers if the driver files with the commission evidence of liability insurance protection in the same amount and in the same manner as required for a passenger stage corporation, and the vehicle undergoes and passes an annual safety inspection by the Department of the California Highway Patrol. The insurance filing shall be accompanied by a one-time filing fee of seventy-five dollars ($75). This exemption does not apply if the primary purpose for the transportation of those persons is to make a profit. “Profit,” as used in this subdivision, does not include the recovery of the actual costs incurred in owning and operating a vanpool vehicle, as defined in Section 668 of the Vehicle Code.
(i)
Vehicles used exclusively to provide medical transportation, including vehicles employed to transport developmentally disabled persons for regional centers established pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 4620) of Division 4.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(j)
Transportation services rendered solely within the Lake Tahoe Basin, comprising that area included within the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact as set forth in Section 66801 of the Government Code, when the operator of the services has obtained any permit required from the Tahoe Basin Transportation Authority or the City of South Lake Tahoe, or both.
(k)
Subject to Section 34507.6 of the Vehicle Code, transportation service provided by the operator of an automobile rental business in vehicles owned or leased by that operator, without charge other than as may be included in the automobile rental charges, to carry its customers to or from its office or facility where rental vehicles are furnished or returned after the rental period.
(
l
)
Subject to Section 34507.6 of the Vehicle Code, transportation service provided by the operator of a hotel, motel, or other place of temporary lodging in vehicles owned or leased by that operator, without charge other than as may be included in the charges for lodging, between the lodging facility and an air, rail, water, or bus passenger terminal or between the lodging facility and any place of entertainment or commercial attraction, including, but not limited to, facilities providing snow skiing. Nothing in this subdivision authorizes the operator of a hotel, motel, or other place of temporary lodging to provide any round trip sightseeing service without a permit, as required by subdivision (c) of Section 5384.
(m)
(1)
Transportation of hot air balloon ride passengers in a balloon chase vehicle from the balloon landing site back to the original takeoff site, provided that the balloon ride was conducted by a balloonist who meets all of the following conditions:
(A)
Does not fly more than a total of 30 passenger rides for compensation annually.
(B)
Does not provide any preflight ground transportation services in their vehicles.
(C)
In providing return transportation to the launch site from landing does not drive more than 300 miles annually.
(D)
Files with the commission an exemption declaration and proof of vehicle insurance, as prescribed by the commission, certifying that the operator qualifies for the exemption and will maintain minimum insurance on each vehicle of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for injury or death of one person, three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) for injury or death of two or more persons and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for damage to property.
(2)
Nothing in this subdivision authorizes the operator of a commercial balloon operation to provide any round trip sightseeing service without a permit, as required by subdivision (c) of Section 5384.
(n)
(1)
Transportation services incidental to operation of a youth camp that are provided by either a nonprofit organization that qualifies for tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or an organization that operates an organized camp, as defined in Section 18897 of the Health and Safety Code, serving youth 18 years of age or younger.
(2)
Any transportation service described in paragraph (1) shall comply with all of the following requirements:
(A)
Register as a private carrier with the commission pursuant to Section 4005.
(B)
Participate in a pull notice system for employers of drivers as prescribed in Section 1808.1 of the Vehicle Code.
(C)
Ensure compliance with the annual bus terminal inspection required by subdivision (c) of Section 34501 of the Vehicle Code.
(D)
Obtain the following minimum amounts of general liability insurance coverage for vehicles that are used to transport youth:
(i)
A minimum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) general liability insurance coverage for passenger vehicles designed to carry up to eight passengers. For organized camps, as defined in Section 18897 of the Health and Safety Code, an additional two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) general umbrella policy that covers vehicles.
(ii)
A minimum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) general liability insurance coverage for vehicles designed to carry up to 15 passengers. For organized camps, as defined in Section 18897 of the Health and Safety Code, an additional five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) general umbrella policy that covers vehicles.
(iii)
A minimum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) general liability insurance coverage for vehicles designed to carry more than 15 passengers, and an additional three million five hundred thousand dollars ($3,500,000) general umbrella liability insurance policy that covers vehicles.
References
referencesCal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 54001.
referencesCal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 522.
referencesCal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 668.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4620.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 66801.
referencesCal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 34507.6.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 18897.
referencesCal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 1808.1.
referencesCal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 34501.
referencesCal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 1031.
referencesCal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 5384.
referencesCal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 501.
referencesCal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 4005.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026