Rental passenger vehicles: personal vehicle sharing programs.

Existing law defines various terms including "rental company" and "rental car company" for purposes of provisions regulating rental passenger vehicle business and usage. Existing law provides various rules and regulations that govern those businesses, including requiring specified disclosures by the company, mandatory contract provisions for a vehicle rental agreement, restrictions on a rental company's use of electronic surveillance technology, and authorization for a rental company to collect specific types of fees and charges from its customers. In addition, the Consumer Automotive Recall Safety Act in the Vehicle Code prohibits a rental car company with a fleet of 34 or fewer loaner or rental vehicles from loaning, renting, or offering for loan or rent a vehicle subject to a manufacturer's recall, as specified. A violation of the Vehicle Code is a crime. Existing law also defines "personal vehicle sharing program" as a legal entity qualified to do business in California that is engaged in the business of sharing private passenger vehicles for noncommercial use by individuals within the state. This bill would provide that specified provisions of law that refer to the terms "rental company," "rental car companies," or similar specified terms, are deemed to include personal vehicle sharing programs, as defined. By including personal vehicle sharing programs within those terms, the bill would make personal vehicle ride sharing programs subject to the rules and regulations applicable to rental car businesses, including provisions of the Consumer Automotive Recall Safety Act. By expanding the application of the Consumer Automotive Recall Safety Act, the bill would expand the scope of a crime and thereby impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.