The proposed amendments involve regulations concerning entities known as Transportation Network Companies (“TNCs”)
MassDOT and the Mass. RMV have scheduled a public hearing for later this month to discuss proposed amendments to regulations establishing standards for the registration of motor vehicles participating in Transportation Network Companies (“TNC”s). More specifically, the proposed amendments would modify the regulations appearing in 540 CMR 2.05 concerning “Vehicle Registration Requirements”. MassDOT and would establish standards and minimum qualifications for the registration of all motor vehicles participating in a TNCs.
The following is a summary of the proposed amendments provided by MassDOT:
(i) The amendments define TNCs as a corporation or entity that, for a fee, arranges for a passenger to be transported from an agreed upon point of departure to an agreed upon destination by its driver.
(ii) TNCs will be regulated by the Department of Public Utilities (“DPU”) as common carriers and must receive a certificate issued by the DPU in order to conduct business in the Commonwealth.
(iii) TNC vehicles are considered private passenger motor vehicles and may display passenger plates.
(iv) TNCs will be required to maintain appropriate liability insurance as required by the DPU.
(v) TNCs will perform background checks including the National Sex Offender Registry database and will be prohibited from using drivers who have been convicted of serious crimes.
A .pdf copy of the regulations is also available at https://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/0/docs/540CMR2_SOSversion.pdf.
How you can attend the public hearing
The public hearing on the proposed amendments has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 10:00am. It will be held in the MassDOT Board Room at the State Transportation Building located at 10 Park Plaza, 3rd Floor, Room 3830 in Boston.
For those interested in attending, please note that you will be required to show an ID for admittance as the Board Room is located in a secure area of the building. Comments by the public will be allowed during the meeting. Persons or parties interested in presenting either an oral or written comments will be allowed. Written comments may be send in advance of the hearing either by email to TNC.Comments@dot.state.ma.us or by mail. The official comment peroid, however will close at 3:00PM on Wednesday, December 31, 2014.
A copy of the regulations along with the propose changes can be viewed on the RMV’s website at: www.massrmv.com. If you prefer to review a hard copy, one can be obtained by mailing a written request to: MassDOT Legal Department, Regulations, RMV, 10 Park Plaza, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02116. written comments may be mailed to the same address and will be considered if received prior to 3:00 p.m. on December 31, 2014.
