40-335. Persons who may be given free or reduced rates; definitions; carriage during emergency; annual report of reduced rate carriage

A. No common carrier shall, directly or indirectly, issue, give or tender any free or reduced rate of transportation for passengers between points within this state, except to:

1. Its employees, its officers, agents, surgeons, physicians, attorneys at law, and their families.

2. Members of the police and fire departments in cities and towns when on duty, whether uniformed or not.

3. Ministers of religion, traveling secretaries of railroad young men's christian association, inmates of hospitals and charitable institutions and persons exclusively engaged in charitable work.

4. Indigent and homeless persons, when transported by charitable societies or hospitals, and to the necessary agents employed in such transportation.

5. Inmates of the homes for soldiers, including those about to enter and those returning after discharge, and to the boards of managers of such homes.

6. Necessary caretakers of livestock, poultry, milk and fruit while in transit.

7. Employees on sleeping cars and express cars, and to linemen of telegraph and telephone corporations.

8. Railway mail service employees, post office, custom and immigration inspectors.

9. Newsboys on trains, baggage agents and witnesses attending any legal investigation in which the common carrier is interested.

10. Persons injured in wrecks and physicians and nurses attending such persons.

B. As used in this section:

1. " Employee" includes furloughed or pensioned employees and persons who developed a disability or infirm in the service of the carrier, and the remains of a person killed in the employment of the carrier, and former employees traveling to re-enter the service of the carrier.

2. " Families" includes the families of those persons excepted, also the families of persons killed, widows during widowhood, and minor children during minority, of persons who died while in the service of such common carrier.

C. This section shall not be construed to prohibit the interchange of passes for the officers, agents and employees of common carriers and their families, nor to prohibit any common carrier from carrying passengers free to provide relief in cases of general epidemic, pestilence, or other emergency situation.

D. With the consent of the commission, every common carrier may transport free, or at reduced rates:

1. Former soldiers and sailors for the purpose of attending any convention.

2. Contractors and their employees, material or supplies, engaged or used in construction, operation or maintenance work, on the line of the issuing carrier, to the extent only that such free or reduced rate transportation is provided for in the specifications upon which the contract is based and in the contract itself. Common carriers may also enter into contracts with each other for an exchange of service.

E. Every common carrier shall on the first Monday in July each year, and at other times required by the commission, file with the commission a verified list of all tickets, passes or reduced rate transportation issued for other than actual bona fide money consideration at full established rates during the preceding year, together with the names of the recipients thereof, the amount received therefor, and the reason for issuing them.