1. (a) All school bus chassis and body manufacturers shall certify to the department, in the form of a letter, that all school buses offered for sale to or use by the public school systems in Texas meet or exceed all standards, specifications, and requirements as specified in the department's publication Texas School Bus Specifications. The department hereby adopts the current Texas Building and Procurement Commission's school bus specifications for 2003 Model School Buses. The Texas School Bus Specifications remain in effect until the department's specifications committee adopts new specifications.

2. (b) All school bus chassis and body manufacturers shall certify to the department, in the form of a letter, that all multifunction school activity buses offered for sale to or use by the public school systems in Texas meet or exceed all federal standards, specifications, and requirements of a multifunction school activity bus as specified in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49 Part 571.

   1. (1) A multifunction school activity bus can be painted any color except school bus yellow.
   2. (2) A multifunction school activity bus cannot be used for home to school or school to home transportation. Before delivery of a multifunction school activity bus, the manufacturer must place a label in the direct line of site of the driver while seated in the driver's seat stating: "This vehicle is not to be used for home to school or school to home transportation".

3. (c) Used school buses purchased or operated by a public school system in Texas shall meet or exceed all Federal and State requirements for public school buses that were in effect in Texas on the date the vehicle was manufactured. Prior to the sale, the dealer selling the used school bus must provide the buyer (school district) with:

   1. (1) Documentation of their "Dealer General Distinguishing Number" which is required by Texas Transportation Code, §503.029.
   2. (2) Documentation of what state the used school bus was originally manufactured.
   3. (3) A copy of the specifications the school bus was originally manufactured to.
   4. (4) Documentation of all modifications that were made to each school bus to bring it into compliance with Texas School Bus Specifications that were in place on the date the school bus was originally manufactured.

   5. (5) Public school districts or contractors must notify the department in writing within 30 days of purchasing any used school bus. The notification must include:

      1. (A) The date of purchase and delivery.
      2. (B) The name of the dealer and the dealer's General Distinguishing Number from whom the used school bus was purchased.
      3. (C) Who manufactured the school bus, date of manufacture, and to which states specifications the school bus was manufactured.
   6. (6) Used school buses purchased by school districts that were not originally manufactured to Texas specifications at the time the school bus was manufactured may be inspected by the department to verify compliance with federal and state specifications.
4. (d) Any new school bus or used school bus as described in subsection (b) of this section found out of compliance with Texas specifications that were in effect in Texas on the date the vehicle was manufactured may be placed out of service until it is brought into compliance.

Source Note:The provisions of this §14.53 adopted to be effective March 9, 2004, 29 TexReg 2378.