(a) The commissioner shall not register any motor bus, taxicab, school bus, motor vehicle in livery service, student transportation vehicle or service bus and no person may operate or cause to be operated upon any public highway any such motor vehicle until the owner or lessee thereof has procured insurance or a bond satisfactory to the commissioner, which insurance or bond shall indemnify the insured against any legal liability for personal injury, the death of any person or property damage, which injury, death or damage may result from or have been caused by the use or operation of such motor vehicle described in the contract of insurance or such bond. Such insurance or bond shall not be required from (1) a municipality which the commissioner finds has maintained sufficient financial responsibility to meet legal liability for personal injury, death or damage resulting from or caused by the use or operation of a service bus owned or operated by such municipality, or (2) the owner or lessee of such class of motor vehicle who holds a certificate of public necessity and convenience from the Department of Transportation if such owner or lessee has procured from the department a certificate that the department has found that such owner or lessee is of sufficient financial responsibility to meet legal liability for personal injury, death or property damage resulting from or caused by the use or operation of such motor vehicle. The Department of Transportation may issue such certificate upon presentation of evidence of financial responsibility that is satisfactory to it.

(b) (1) The amount of insurance or of such bond which each such vehicle owner or lessee shall carry as insurance or indemnity against claims for personal injury or death shall be not less than (A) fifty thousand dollars for one person subject to that limit per person; (B) for all persons in any one accident where the carrying capacity is seven passengers or less, one hundred thousand dollars; (C) eight to twelve passengers, inclusive, one hundred fifty thousand dollars; (D) thirteen to twenty passengers, inclusive, two hundred thousand dollars; (E) twenty-one to thirty passengers, inclusive, two hundred fifty thousand dollars; and (F) thirty-one passengers or more, three hundred thousand dollars; and such policy or such bond shall indemnify the insured against legal liability resulting from damage to the property of passengers or of others to the amount of ten thousand dollars.

(2) In lieu of the foregoing, a single limit of liability shall be allowed as insurance or indemnity against claims for personal injury or death and legal liability resulting from damage to the property of passengers or of others for any one accident (A) where the carrying capacity is seven passengers or less, not less than one hundred thousand dollars; (B) eight to twelve passengers, inclusive, not less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars; (C) thirteen to twenty passengers, inclusive, not less than two hundred thousand dollars; (D) twenty-one to thirty passengers, inclusive, not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars; and (E) thirty-one passengers or more, not less than three hundred thousand dollars. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to (i) a municipality which the commissioner has found to have sufficient financial responsibility to meet legal liability for damages as provided in subsection (a) of this section or (ii) the owner or lessees of any such motor vehicle holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the Department of Transportation whom the department has found to be of sufficient financial responsibility to meet legal liability for damages as provided in subsection (a).

(c) (1) Any person or company issuing any such insurance or indemnity bond shall file with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles a certificate in such form as the commissioner prescribes, and no such insurance or bond shall lapse, expire or be cancelled while the registration is in force until the commissioner has been given at least ten days’ written notice of an intention to cancel and until the commissioner has accepted other insurance or another indemnity bond and has notified the person or company seeking to cancel such insurance or bond that such other insurance or bond has been accepted or until the registration of such motor vehicle described in such insurance policy or bond has been suspended or cancelled.

(2) No person or company issuing any such insurance or indemnity bond shall issue an insurance policy or indemnity bond for a motor vehicle specified in subsection (a) of this section for limits less than those specified in subsection (b) or (f) of this section. Upon initial registration or renewal of any such motor vehicle, the commissioner may presume that an insurance policy or indemnity bond meets the minimum amounts specified in said subsection (b) or (f) for such vehicle.

(d) Any person injured in person or property by any such motor vehicle may apply to the commissioner for the name and description of the insurer of the vehicle causing such injury or the name of the surety upon any indemnity bond of any such owner or the name of the holder of a certificate of financial responsibility.

(e) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both.

(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any person, association or corporation operating a motor vehicle in livery service under the provisions of sections 13b-101 to 13b-109, inclusive, shall carry insurance or indemnity against claims for personal injury or death and legal liability resulting from damage to the property of passengers or of others for any one accident in an amount not less than one million five hundred thousand dollars for vehicles with a seating capacity of fourteen passengers or less and five million dollars for vehicles with a seating capacity of fifteen passengers or more.

(1949 Rev., S. 2371; 1955, S. 1293d; November, 1955, S. N164; 1971, P.A. 487, S. 1; P.A. 75-486, S. 39, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 162, 610; P.A. 80-482, S. 32, 348; P.A. 81-90; P.A. 82-460, S. 5; P.A. 85-613, S. 122, 154; P.A. 89-222, S. 5; P.A. 90-263, S. 4, 74; P.A. 93-341, S. 7; P.A. 96-180, S. 39, 166; P.A. 99-181, S. 11; P.A. 06-130, S. 13; P.A. 17-79, S. 1.)

History: 1971 act raised insurance or bond minimum from $25,000 to $50,000 for one person and raised insurance for property damage from $5,000 to $10,000; P.A. 75-486 replaced public utilities commission with public utilities control authority; P.A. 77-614 replaced public utilities control authority with division of public utility control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 gave division departmental status and deleted reference to abolished department of business regulation; P.A. 81-90 amended Subsec. (a), exempting self-insured municipalities from the insurance or bond requirement for operation of public service motor vehicles or service buses; and amended Subsec. (b), allowing a single limit of liability in lieu of the double limit for each public service motor vehicle, and exempting self-insured municipalities from provisions; P.A. 82-460 amended Subsec. (c) to add reference to suspension of registration and to delete requirement that commissioner take number plates of vehicles with suspended or cancelled registrations; P.A. 85-613 made technical changes, substituting references to transportation department for references to department of public utility control in Subsecs. (a) and (b); P.A. 89-222 added new Subsec. (f) re increasing the insurance for motor vehicles in livery service; P.A. 90-263 substituted motor bus, taxicab and motor vehicle in livery service for public service motor vehicle; P.A. 93-341 applied Subsec. (a) provisions to school buses; P.A. 96-180 made technical changes in Subsec. (b) to conform Subdiv., Subpara. and clause designations with customary statutory usage, effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 99-181 amended Subsec. (f) by increasing the required insurance or indemnity from not less than $600,000 to $1,500,000 for vehicles with a seating capacity of fourteen passengers or less and $5,000,000 for vehicles with a seating capacity of fifteen passengers or more; P.A. 06-130 amended Subsec. (a) to add student transportation vehicles and make a technical change, effective June 2, 2006; P.A. 17-79 amended Subsec. (c) by designating existing provisions re filing certificate with commissioner as Subdiv. (1) and making technical changes, and adding Subdiv. (2) re issuance of insurance policy or indemnity bond for a vehicle and presumption that policy or bond meets minimum amounts specified for the vehicle.