Subdivision 1. Scope. For the purposes of sections 174.21 to 174.27 the following terms have the meanings given them.

Subd. 2. Commuter van. "Commuter van" means a motor vehicle used in a ride-sharing arrangement and used principally to provide prearranged transportation of persons for a fee to or from their place of employment or to or from a transit stop authorized by a local transit authority:

(1) when the vehicle is operated by a person who does not drive the vehicle for that person's principal occupation but is driving it only to or from that person's principal place of employment or to or from a transit stop authorized by a local transit authority; or

(2) when the vehicle is operated for personal use at other times by an authorized driver.

Subd. 2a. [Renumbered subd 2c]

Subd. 2b. Elderly and disabled service. "Elderly and disabled service" means transportation service provided on a regular basis in urbanized or large urbanized areas and designed exclusively or primarily to serve individuals who are elderly or disabled and unable to use regular means of public transportation.

Subd. 2c. Metropolitan area. "Metropolitan area" has the meaning given it in section 473.121.

Subd. 3. Metropolitan Council. "Metropolitan Council" means the council established by section 473.123.

Subd. 4. [Repealed, 1994 c 628 art 3 s 209]

Subd. 5. Operating deficit. "Operating deficit" means the amount by which the total prudent operating expenses incurred in the operation of the public transit system exceeds the amount of operating revenue derived from the system.

Subd. 6. Paratransit. "Paratransit" means the transportation of passengers by motor vehicle or other means of conveyance by persons operating on a regular and continuing basis and the transportation or delivery of packages in conjunction with an operation having the transportation of passengers as its primary and predominant purpose and activity, but excluding regular route transit. "Paratransit" includes transportation by car pool and commuter van, point deviation and route deviation services, shared-ride taxi service, dial-a-ride service, and other similar services.

Subd. 7. Public transit or transit. "Public transit" or "transit" means general or specific transportation service provided to the public on a regular and continuing basis. "Public transit" or "transit" includes paratransit and regular route transit.

Subd. 8. Regular route transit. "Regular route transit" means transportation of passengers for hire by a motor vehicle or other means of conveyance by any person operating on a regular and continuing basis as a common carrier on fixed routes and schedules. "Regular route transit" does not include transportation of children to or from school or of passengers between a common carrier terminal station and a hotel or motel, transportation by common carrier railroad or common carrier railroads or by taxi, transportation furnished by a person solely for that person's employees or customers, or paratransit.

Subd. 9. [Repealed, 1Sp2001 c 8 art 2 s 76]

Subd. 10. [Renumbered subd 15]

Subd. 11. [Renumbered subd 14]

Subd. 12. Rural area service. "Rural area service" means a transportation service primarily operated in an area having population centers of less than 2,500 persons.

Subd. 13. [Renumbered subd 2b]

Subd. 14. Small urban area service. "Small urban area service" means a transportation service operating in an area with a population between 2,500 and 50,000.

Subd. 14a. State sources of funds. "State sources of funds" means funding for the public transit participation program appropriated from (1) the general fund, and (2) the greater Minnesota transit account.

Subd. 15. Urbanized area service. "Urbanized area service" means a transportation service operating in an urban area of more than 50,000 persons but does not include elderly and disabled service, as defined in subdivision 2b.

History: 1977 c 454 s 19; 1982 c 586 s 2; 1983 c 371 s 2; 1984 c 654 art 3 s 63-66; 1986 c 444; 2005 c 56 s 1; 2010 c 351 s 42