The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

1. (1) Bus--A motor vehicle used to transport persons and designed to accommodate more than 10 passengers, including the driver.
2. (2) Commission--The General Services Commission of the State of Texas.
3. (3) Department--The Texas Department of Public Safety.
4. (4) Director--The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
5. (5) Passenger car--A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, used to transport persons and designed to accommodate 10 or fewer passengers, including the driver.

6. (6) School bus--A bus owned or leased by a school district or county transportation system, or a bus operated by a private contractor under contract with a school district or county transportation system to transport students from school to home, or from home to school, or in connection with school-related activities, excluding a bus used in an urban area by a common carrier to transport students or a bus designed to accommodate more than 10 and less than 16 passengers (including the driver) which is used to transport students on school-related activities only, that:

   1. (A) on the date of manufacture, complied with the current requirements provided in the Texas School Bus Specifications handbook as developed, adopted, and published under authority of Texas Civil Statutes, Article 6701d, §105(a) recodified as Texas Transportation Code, §547.701; or
   2. (B) meets the statutory equipment requirements of a school bus in the Texas Transportation Code §547.607 and §547.701, including a fire extinguisher, convex mirror, and four alternately flashing red lights, and complies with the lighting and warning device equipment rules promulgated by the department as set forth in §14.52 of this title (relating to Lighting and Warning Device Equipment).

Source Note:The provisions of this §14.51 adopted to be effective October 7, 1996, 21 TexReg 9246.