Let schools transport students by transportation network company

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. B. No. 674

2025-2026

Representative Miller, K.

To
amend sections 3319.316 and 4511.76 and to enact sections
3327.103,

4925.11,
4925.12, 4925.13, and 4925.14 of the Revised Code
to
authorize a public or private school to transport students using a
transportation network company.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That
sections 3319.316 and 4511.76 be amended and sections
3327.103,

4925.11,
4925.12, 4925.13, and 4925.14 of the Revised Code be enacted to read
as follows:

Sec.
3319.316.
The
state board of education shall be a participating public office for
purposes of the retained applicant fingerprint database established
under section 109.5721 of the Revised Code and shall receive
notification from the bureau of criminal identification and
investigation of the arrest or conviction of the following persons:

(A)
Persons to whom the state board has issued a license, as defined in
section 3319.31 of the Revised Code;

(B)
On behalf of employers described in section 3319.391 or 3327.10 of
the Revised Code

or a transportation network company under section 3327.103 of the
Revised Code
,
persons who are not required to hold a license issued by the state
board and are employed in or contracted for a position that the
district, service center, or school reasonably determines may involve
routine interaction with a child or regular responsibility for the
care, custody, or control of a child, including persons who operate a
school bus or motor van. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
division (E) of section 109.5721 of the Revised Code, the state board
is authorized to and promptly shall transmit any notification
received regarding a person under this division to the person's
employer

or the transportation network company, as applicable
.

Sec.
3327.103.
(A)
In addition to any other applicable requirement specified in Chapter
4925. of the Revised Code, a transportation network company providing
services under a contract entered into under section 4925.12 of the
Revised Code shall do all of the following:

(1)
Request a criminal records check prior to authorizing the
transportation network company driver to provide pupil transportation
services under the contract in accordance with the procedures
specified under divisions (J)(2), (3), and (4) of section 3327.10 of
the Revised Code, in addition to the background checks required by
section 4925.04 of the Revised Code;

(2)
Obtain the complete driving record for each transportation network
company driver who is providing pupil transportation under the
contract. A transportation network company shall obtain the
transportation network company driver's record prior to authorizing
that driver to provide pupil transportation services. Thereafter, the
transportation network company shall obtain the transportation
network company driver's driving record not less than semiannually
while the driver is authorized to provide pupil transportation
services under the contract.

(3)
Ensure that all of the following apply to the operation and condition
of a motor vehicle that is used by an authorized transportation
network company driver for pupil transportation under the contract:

(a)
A qualified mechanic inspects the motor vehicle not less than once
annually to determine that it is safe for pupil transportation.

(b)
If a motor vehicle is determined to be unsafe for pupil
transportation, the motor vehicle is not operated for such use until
it is repaired and determined safe for pupil transportation.

(c)
The driver of the motor vehicle does not stop on the roadway to load
or unload passengers.

(d)
The driver of the motor vehicle is accustomed to operating that
particular make and model of motor vehicle.

(e)
The motor vehicle transports not more than ten individuals at one
time, including the driver.

(f)
The driver and all passengers occupying the motor vehicle comply with
the requirements of sections 4511.81 and 4513.263 of the Revised
Code, as applicable.

(B)
No transportation network company providing services under a contract
entered into under section 4925.12 of the Revised Code shall
authorize any transportation network company driver to provide pupil
transportation services under the contract if that driver has been
convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of section 4511.19 of
the Revised Code, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance,
within the prior ten years.

Sec.
4511.76.
(A)
The department of public safety, by and with the advice of the
department of education and workforce, shall adopt and enforce rules
relating to the construction, design, and equipment, including
lighting equipment required by section 4511.771 of the Revised Code,
of all school buses both publicly and privately owned and operated in
this state.

(B)
The department of education and workforce, by and with the advice of
the director of public safety, shall adopt and enforce rules relating
to the operation of all vehicles used for pupil transportation.

(C)
No
(C)(1)
Except as provided in division (C)(2) of this section, no
person
shall operate a vehicle used for pupil transportation within this
state in violation of the rules of the department of education and
workforce or the department of public safety. No person, being the
owner thereof or having the supervisory responsibility therefor,
shall permit the operation of a vehicle used for pupil transportation
within this state in violation of the rules of the department of
education and workforce or the department of public safety.

(2)
Division (C)(1) of this section does not apply to a transportation
network company driver providing services under a contract between a
transportation network company and a board of education of a school
district or governing authority of a chartered nonpublic school or
other public school in accordance with sections 4925.11 to 4925.14 of
the Revised Code.

(D)
The department of public safety shall adopt and enforce rules
relating to the issuance of a license under section 4511.763 of the
Revised Code. The rules may relate to the condition of the equipment
to be operated; the liability and property damage insurance carried
by the applicant; the posting of satisfactory and sufficient bond;
and such other rules as the director of public safety determines
reasonably necessary for the safety of the pupils to be transported.

(E)
A chartered nonpublic school or a community school may own and
operate, or contract with a vendor that supplies, alternative
vehicles to transport students to and from regularly scheduled school
sessions, school-related activities, and school-sanctioned events
when one of the following applies:

(1)
A student's school district of residence has declared the
transportation of the student impractical pursuant to section 3327.02
of the Revised Code;

(2)
A student does not live within thirty minutes of the chartered
nonpublic school or the community school, as applicable, and the
student's school district is not required to transport the student
under section 3327.01 of the Revised Code;

(3)
The governing authority of the chartered nonpublic school or the
community school has offered to provide the transportation for its
students in lieu of the students being transported by their school
district of residence.

(F)
A school district may own and operate, or contract with a vendor that
supplies, alternative vehicles to transport students to and from
regularly scheduled school sessions, school-related activities, and
school-sanctioned events.

(G)
A school district or the governing authority of a chartered nonpublic
school or community school that uses an alternative vehicle in
accordance with division (E) or (F) of this section, shall ensure
that all of the following apply to the operation of that vehicle:

(1)
A qualified mechanic inspects the vehicle not fewer than two times
each year and determines that it is safe for pupil transportation;

(2)
The driver of the vehicle does not stop on the roadway to load or
unload passengers;

(3)
The driver of the vehicle meets the requirements specified for a
driver of a school bus or motor van under section 3327.10 of the
Revised Code and any corresponding rules adopted by the department of
education and workforce. Notwithstanding that section or any
department rules to the contrary, the driver is not required to have
a commercial driver's license but shall have a current, valid
driver's license, and shall be accustomed to operating the vehicle
used to transport the students.

(4)
The driver and all passengers in the vehicle comply with the
requirements of sections 4511.81 and 4513.263 of the Revised Code, as
applicable.

(H)(1)
A school district, a chartered nonpublic school, or a community
school may own and operate, or contract with a vendor that supplies,
a multifunction school activity bus to transport students between
school and school functions or activities.

(2)
A multifunction school activity bus shall not be used to transport
students between school and home or between school and designated
school bus stops.

(I)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Alternative vehicle" means a motor vehicle originally
manufactured and designed for not more than twelve passengers, not
including the driver.

(2)
"Vehicle used for pupil transportation" means any vehicle
that is identified as such by the department of education and
workforce by rule and that is subject to Chapter 3301-83 of the
Administrative Code.

(J)
Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates this
section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If the offender previously
has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one or more violations of
this section or section 4511.63, 4511.761, 4511.762, 4511.764,
4511.77, or 4511.79 of the Revised Code or a municipal ordinance that
is substantially similar to any of those sections, whoever violates
this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

Sec.
4925.11.
As
used in sections 4925.11 to 4925.14 of the Revised Code:

(A)
"Other public school" means a community school established
under Chapter 3314., a STEM school established under Chapter 3326.,
or a college-preparatory boarding school established under Chapter
3328. of the Revised Code.

(B)
"Parent" or "legal guardian" means a natural
parent, adoptive parent, or legal guardian of a student.

(C)
"School district" means a city, local, exempted village, or
joint vocational school district or an educational service center.

(D)
"School-related activities" means any activities sponsored
by a school district, chartered nonpublic school, or other public
school including extracurricular activities, field trips, or athletic
events.

(E)
"Pupil" means any child enrolled in kindergarten through
twelfth grade at a school district, chartered nonpublic school, or
other public school.

Sec.
4925.12.
(A)
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Revised Code concerning
pupil transportation, a board of education of a school district or
governing authority of a chartered nonpublic school or other public
school may contract with a transportation network company to provide
pupil transportation to and from school or school-related activities.

(B)
A contract between a transportation network company and a board of
education of a school district or governing authority of a chartered
nonpublic school or other public school, along with provisions in
this chapter, shall govern the services provided pursuant to this
section.

(C)
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter and in section 3327.103
of the Revised Code, all rules and regulations of the department of
education and workforce or any other state agency concerning the
transportation of pupils, including Chapter 3327. of the Revised
Code, shall not apply to a transportation network company and a
transportation network company driver providing services under a
contract authorized by this section.

Sec.
4925.13.
(A)
A transportation network company providing services under a contract
entered into under section 4925.12 of the Revised Code shall do all
of the following:

(1)
Require the transportation network company drivers providing pupil
transportation services under the contract to comply with the
transportation network company driver requirements of this chapter;

(2)
Require the transportation network company drivers providing pupil
transportation services under the contract to comply with any
additional safety-related driver qualifications or criminal records
checks imposed under the contract;

(3)
Comply with all other requirements of this chapter and section
3327.103 of the Revised Code.

(B)
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit the authority of
a transportation network company, at its discretion, to impose any
additional safety-related driver qualifications or vehicle standards
that exceed the qualifications and standards set forth in this
chapter or set forth in any contract entered into under section
4925.12 of the Revised Code. Furthermore, nothing in this chapter
shall be construed to limit the authority of a transportation network
company, at its discretion, to conduct criminal records checks and to
deny, suspend, or terminate the authorization of any driver
performing services under a contract entered into under section
4925.12 of the Revised Code, to the extent such actions exceed what
is required by this chapter or by any contract entered into under
that section.

Sec.
4925.14.
A
transportation network company providing services pursuant to a
contract entered into under section 4925.12 of the Revised Code
shall, for each trip, provide the parent or legal guardian of a
student with access to all of the following:

(A)
Real-time status updates of the trip, including confirmation of
driver arrival, student pickup, and student drop-off;

(B)
Real-time global positioning system tracking throughout the duration
of the trip;

(C)
The ability to directly contact the assigned driver during the trip,
through an anonymized in-app communication feature or call forwarding
system;

(D)
A picture of the driver and the make, model, and license plate number
of the vehicle used by the driver.

Section
2.
That
existing sections 3319.316 and 4511.76 of the Revised Code are hereby
repealed.