836

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 284

developing its user tax structure; and that annual taxes
or other taxes of the fixed fee type upon buses, which
are not imposed on a basis that reflects the amount of
highway use, should be apportioned among the states,
within the limits of practicality, on the basis of
vehicle miles traveled within each of the states.

3-903.

(a)    State includes the states of the United
States, the District of Columbia, the territories of the
United States, the provinces of Canada, and the states,
territories, and federal district of Mexico.

(b)    Contracting state means a state which is party
to this agreement.

(c)    Administrator means the official or agency of
a state administering the fee involved, or, in the case
of proration of registration, the official or agency of a
state administering the proration of registration in that
state.

(d)    Person includes any individual, firm,
copartnership, joint venture, association, corporation,
estate, trust, business trust, receiver, syndicate, or
any other group or combination acting as a unit.

(e)    Base state means the state from or in which
the bus is most frequently dispatched, garaged, serviced,
maintained, operated, or otherwise controlled, or also in
the case of a fleet bus the state to which it is
allocated for registration under statutory requirements.
In order that this section may not be used for the
purpose of evasion of registration fees, the
administrators of the contracting states may make the
final decision as to the proper base state, in accordance
with Article III (h) hereof, to prevent or avoid evasion.

(f)    Bus means any motor vehicle of a bus type
engaged in the interstate transportation of passengers
and subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, or any agency successor thereto, or
one or more state regulatory agencies concerned with the
regulation of passenger transport.

(g)    As to each contracting state, fleet includes
only those buses which actually travel a portion of their
total miles in such state. A fleet must include three
(3) or more buses.

(h) Registration means the registration of a bus
and the payment of annual fees and taxes as set forth in
or pursuant to the laws of the respective contracting
states.

(i) Proration of registration means registration
of fleets of buses in accordance with Article IV of this