republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20112012/ab-2488.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Vehicles: buses: length limitations."
description: "Existing law imposes a 40-foot limitation on the length of vehicles that may be operated on the highways, with specified exemptions. Existing law exempts from this limitation an articulated bus or trolley and a bus, except a schoolbus, that is operated by a public agency or passenger stage corporation that is used in a transit system if it is equipped with a folding device attached to the front of the vehicle that is designed and used exclusively for transporting bicycles, does not materially affect efficiency or visibility of vehicle safety equipment, and does not extend more than 36 inches from the front of the body of the bus or trolley when fully deployed. In addition, existing law prohibits a bicycle that is transported on the above-described device from having the bicycle handlebars extend more than 42 inches from the front of the vehicle."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20112012"
identifier: "AB 2488"
citation: "California AB 2488 (20112012)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Vehicles: buses: length limitations."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Williams"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 33
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2012-02-24"
last_action: "2012-09-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/fb4ea715-ddbf-4a7e-ac32-fc57d892ffab"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488"
source_hash: "fd718dd96a8aeee2241d60125fa2dae95ae7d2b45500d81cafd63b899a766b57"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California AB 2488 (20112012) — Vehicles: buses: length limitations.

Existing law imposes a 40-foot limitation on the length of vehicles that may be operated on the highways, with specified exemptions. Existing law exempts from this limitation an articulated bus or trolley and a bus, except a schoolbus, that is operated by a public agency or passenger stage corporation that is used in a transit system if it is equipped with a folding device attached to the front of the vehicle that is designed and used exclusively for transporting bicycles, does not materially affect efficiency or visibility of vehicle safety equipment, and does not extend more than 36 inches from the front of the body of the bus or trolley when fully deployed. In addition, existing law prohibits a bicycle that is transported on the above-described device from having the bicycle handlebars extend more than 42 inches from the front of the vehicle.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/24/12 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488&version=20110AB248899INT)
2. **03/29/12 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488&version=20110AB248898AMD)
3. **04/12/12 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488&version=20110AB248897AMD)
4. **08/22/12 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488&version=20110AB248896AMD)
5. **09/19/12 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488&version=20110AB248894CHP)
6. **AB2488** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488)
7. **09/11/12 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2488&version=20110AB248895ENR)

## Votes

- Consent Calendar 2nd — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be placed on the Consent Calendar. — **9–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 2488 WILLIAMS Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB2488 Williams By Hancock — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **13–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 2488 WILLIAMS Assembly Third Reading — **73–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Williams — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2012-02-24** Introduced. To print. `introduction`
- **2012-02-26** From printer. May be heard in committee March 27.
- **2012-02-27** Read first time. `reading-1`
- **2012-03-29** Referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2012-03-29** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2012-04-09** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2012-04-12** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2012-04-16** Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. `referral-committee`
- **2012-04-24** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 23). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2012-04-25** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2012-04-30** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 4593.) `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2012-04-30** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2012-05-17** Referred to Com. on T. & H. `referral-committee`
- **2012-06-13** From committee: Do pass. To consent calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 12). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2012-06-14** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2012-06-18** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 3958.). `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2012-06-18** In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. `committee-passage`
- **2012-06-28** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11:15 a.m.
- **2012-07-05** Returned by the Governor at the request of the Assembly.
- **2012-07-05** Action rescinded whereby bill was ordered to enrollment and whereby the bill was enrolled and presented to the Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2012-07-05** Ordered to the Senate.
- **2012-08-21** In Senate. Held at Desk.
- **2012-08-22** Action rescinded whereby the bill was read third time, passed, and to Assembly. `reading-3, passage`
- **2012-08-22** Ordered to third reading.
- **2012-08-22** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `reading-3, reading-1, amendment-passage`
- **2012-08-23** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2012-08-28** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 4883.). `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2012-08-28** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 30 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2012-08-29** Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Page 6488.)
- **2012-08-29** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 6564.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2012-09-13** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2:30 p.m.
- **2012-09-19** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2012-09-19** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 376, Statutes of 2012.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/fb4ea715-ddbf-4a7e-ac32-fc57d892ffab`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).