Chartered Buses

The District of Columbia recently enacted a law that requires a bus from any US state or Canadian province used for travel of a chartered party with a seating capacity of greater than fifteen (15) passengers to obtain one of the following:

• Registration of the chartered bus as a Class B commercial vehicle in the District of Columbia

• Proportional registration in the base jurisdiction through the International Registration Plan

• A Trip Permit for travel within the District of Columbia

Vehicle owners must be in compliance with the chartered bus law prior to entering the District of Columbia. The chartered bus law became effective on March 14, 2007.

School Buses Transporting Students

A school bus that is owned by a governmental entity or registered as a government vehicle is exempt from IRP regulations. It is not required to obtain a trip permit. The school bus must display a government license plate; either a state or a federal tag. Private school bus owners are not exempt from the charter and/or tour bus law.

Private bus companies whose buses are chartered for transporting students to and from school are not exempt from the charter bus law and must also obatin one of the above.

For more information on registering a bus in the IRP program, please contact your state Department of Motor Vehicles. Here is a list of offices, provided by the American Association of Motor Vehicles Administrators.

Get more information regarding Tour Bus Parking from the goDCgo website.