Vanpool vehicles, as defined in Section 668, and vanpool vehicles when used for purposes other than traveling to and from a work location and transporting not more than 10 persons including the driver, shall be exempt from the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 34501, except that the following shall apply:

(a) The vanpool vehicle shall be equipped with an operable fire extinguisher which is of the dry chemical or carbon dioxide type with an aggregate rating of at least 4-B:C and which is securely mounted and readily accessible.

(b) The vanpool vehicle shall be equipped with a first aid kit, conforming to the minimum requirements for schoolbuses. First aid kits shall be readily visible, accessible, and plainly marked “First Aid Kit.”

(c) The vanpool vehicle shall be regularly and systematically inspected, maintained, and lubricated in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, or more often if necessary to ensure the safe operating condition of the vehicle. The maintenance shall include, as a minimum, an in-depth inspection of the vehicle’s brake system, steering components, lighting system, and wheels and tires, to be performed at intervals of not more than every six months or 6,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

(d) Operators of vanpool vehicles shall document each systematic inspection, maintenance, and lubrication and repair performed for each vehicle under their control. Required records shall include services performed, the person performing the service, the date, and the mileage on the vehicle at the time of the repair. The records shall be maintained with the vehicle for one year, and shall be presented upon demand to any authorized representative of the California Highway Patrol.

(e) Vanpool vehicles being operated pursuant to the exemptions specified in this section shall display, upon the rear and sides of the vehicle, a sign or placard, clearly visible and discernable for a distance of not less than 50 feet, indicating that the vehicle is being used as a vanpool vehicle.

(Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 46, Sec. 11.)