Conn. Gen. Stat. § 13b-80 (2026)

No person, association, limited liability company or corporation shall operate a motor bus without having obtained a certificate from the Department of Transportation or from the Federal Highway Administration pursuant to the Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982, P.L. 97-261, specifying the route and certifying that public convenience and necessity require the operation of a motor bus or motor buses over such route. Such certificate shall be issued only after written application for the same has been made. Upon receipt of such application, said department shall promptly give written notice of the pendency of such application to the mayor of each city, the warden of each borough or the first selectman of each town in or through which the applicant desires to operate, and to any common carrier operating over any portion of such route or over a route substantially parallel thereto. Any town, city or borough within which, or between which and any other town, city or borough in this state, any such common carrier is furnishing service may bring a written petition to the department in respect to routes, fares, speed, schedules, continuity of service and the convenience and safety of passengers and the public. Thereupon the department may fix a time and place for a hearing upon such petition and mail notice thereof to the parties in interest at least one week prior to such hearing. No such certificate shall be sold or transferred until the department, upon written application to it, setting forth the purpose, terms and conditions thereof and after investigation, approves the same. The application shall be accompanied by a fee of one hundred seventy-six dollars. The department may amend or, for sufficient cause shown, may suspend or revoke any such certificate. The department may impose a civil penalty on any person or any officer of any association, limited liability company or corporation who violates any provision of any regulation adopted under section 13b-86 with respect to routes, fares, speed, schedules, continuity of service or the convenience and safety of passengers and the public, in an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars per day for each violation. The owner or operator of every motor bus shall display in a conspicuous place therein a memorandum of such certificate. Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 285, such certificate shall include authority to transport baggage, express, mail and newspapers for hire in the same vehicle with passengers under such regulations as the department may prescribe. Any certificate issued pursuant to this section by the Division of Public Utility Control within the Department of Business Regulation prior to October 1, 1979, shall remain valid unless suspended or revoked by the Department of Transportation.

(1949 Rev., S. 5706; 1955, S. 2641d; February, 1965, P.A. 593; 1967, P.A. 12; 1969, P.A. 768, S. 241; P.A. 75-486, S. 1, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 162, 610; P.A. 79-610, S. 9; P.A. 80-25, S. 2; P.A. 84-134, S. 1; 84-254, S. 20, 62; P.A. 92-136, S. 2; P.A. 93-307, S. 19, 34; P.A. 95-126, S. 1, 25; P.A. 96-222, S. 10, 41; P.A. 97-304, S. 7, 31.)

History: 1965 act added authority for transporting baggage, express, mail and newspapers for hire in same vehicle with passengers; 1967 act provided for fee of $50 to accompany application; 1969 act included commissioner of transportation among those to be notified of hearing on applications for certificates and on petitions by towns and provided further for the consideration of the recommendations of that commissioner submitted in writing within 30 days of the conclusion of the hearing; P.A. 75-486 substituted public utilities control “authority” for public utilities “commission” where appearing, effective December 1, 1975; P.A. 77-614 replaced “public utilities control authority” with “division of public utility control within the department of business regulation”, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-610 substituted “department of transportation” for “division of public utility control within the department of business regulation” and “department” for “division” where appearing, and deleted the “commissioner of transportation” from those to be notified of hearings on applications for certificates and on petitions; P.A. 80-25 provided that certificates issued prior to October 1, 1979, shall remain valid unless suspended or revoked by the department of transportation; in 1981 Sec. 16-309 transferred to Sec. 13b-80; P.A. 84-134 authorized any person, association or corporation to operate a motor bus after obtaining certificate from Interstate Commerce Commission; P.A. 84-254 increased application fee from $50 to $176 between July 1, 1985, and July 1, 1993; P.A. 92-136 amended section by requiring the issuance of a decal to be conspicuously displayed on the vehicle; P.A. 93-307 amended the section by providing for an annual decal fee and eliminating the provision for a one-time decal fee, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 95-126 eliminated provision re issuance of decal representing authority to operate and provision re display of decal, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-222 inserted “or its successor agency” after “Interstate Commerce Commission”, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-304 extended prohibition re operation of motor buses without a certificate to limited liability companies, substituted “Federal Highway Administration” for “Interstate Commerce Commission or its successor agency”, eliminated requirement that certificate be issued only after a public hearing is held thereon and that department fix a time and place for a hearing upon a written petition brought by town, city or borough and mail notice thereof, made technical changes, deleted obsolete references re application fees, and authorized department to impose civil penalty for violation of any provision of any regulation adopted under Sec. 13b-86, effective July 1, 1997.

Annotations to former section 16-309:

Cited. 166 C. 328.

Cited. 24 CS 405.

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