VERNON'S CIVIL STATUTES
TITLE 66. FREE PASSES, FRANKS AND TRANSPORTATION
Art. 4005. FREE PASSES PROHIBITED. No steam or electric railway company, street railway company, interurban railway company or other chartered transportation company, express company, sleeping car company, telegraph company, telephone company or person or association of persons operating the same, nor any receiver or lessee thereof, nor any officer, agent or employee or receiver of any such company in this State shall knowingly haul or carry any property free of charge, or give or grant to any person, firm or association of persons a free pass, frank, privilege or substitute for pay or a subterfuge which is used or which is given to be used instead of the regular fare or rate of transportation or any authority or permit whatsoever to travel or to pass or convey or transport any person or property free, nor sell any transportation for anything except money, or for any greater or less rate than is charged all persons under the same conditions, over any railway or transportation lines or part of line in this State; or shall knowingly permit any person to transmit any message free in this State; or shall give any frank or right or privilege to transmit any message free in this State or property free of charge or for greater or less fare or rate than is charged other persons in this State for similar service, except as hereinafter provided in this title.
Art. 4005a. FREE PASS LAW. Any president, director, officer, employé or agent of any steam or electric railway company, street railway company, interurban railway company, or other chartered transportation company, express company, sleeping car company, telegraph or telephone company, who shall sell any transportation for anything except money or knowingly give, grant, issue, or cause to be issued, a free pass, a frank, a privilege, or any substitute for, or in lieu thereof, for the transportation of any person, article or thing, or the sending or transmitting any messages over wire or other means of transmitting messages in this State, shall be fined not less than five hundred nor more than two thousand dollars, and may, in addition thereto, in the discretion of the jury, be confined in the penitentiary not less than six months nor more than two years.
Acts 1907, p. 93.
Art. 4006. EXCEPTIONS. The preceding Article shall not be held to prevent any steam or electric interurban railway, telegraph company, or chartered transportation company, or sleeping car company, or the receivers or lessees thereof, or persons operating same, or the officers, agents, or employees thereof, from granting or exchanging free passes or free transportation, franks, privileges, substitutes for pay, or other thing prohibited by the provisions of the preceding Article to any of the following named persons: The actual bona fide employees of any such person or corporation, company, association, or the members of their families; persons actually employed on sleeping cars and express cars; newsboys employed on trains; railway mail service employees, and their families; furloughed, pensioned, superannuated employees, and members of their families; the widows of deceased former superannuated and/or pensioned employees; persons who have been disabled or who have become infirm in the service of any such corporation, company, association, or person; the remains of any persons killed or who may have died in the employment of a common carrier; members of the family of persons killed while in the service of any such common carrier; the family or any person who was, for a period of ten (10) years or more, an employee of such common carrier and who died while in the service of the same; ex-employees traveling for the purpose of entering the service of any such common carrier; post office inspectors; the chairman of bona fide members of grievance committees of employees; bona fide custom and immigration inspectors employed by the government; State Health Officer and one assistant; Federal health officers; county health officers; members of the Industrial Accident Board or any employee thereof; State Railroad Commissioners; Secretary of the Railroad Commission; Engineer of the Railroad Commission; Inspector of the Railroad Commission; Auditor of the Railroad Commission; State Game, Fish and Oyster Commissioners and the Executive Secretary and two (2) assistants; government representatives from the Texas fish hatcheries; shipments of fish for free distribution in the waters of this State; the necessary caretakers while en route and return of any shipments of live stock, poultry, fruit, melons, or other perishable produce; trip passes to indigent poor when application therefor is made by any religious or charitable organization; Sisters of Charity, or members of any religious society of like character; any Minister of religion on intrastate trips in this State; any citizen of the State who served in the War between the States of the Union, either on the Confederate side or on the Union side of said War; veterans of the Spanish-American War, and the wife or widow of any such citizen or veteran; veterans of the Texas Ranger force who served the State prior to the year 1900, and their wives or widows; delegates to different farmers' institutes, farmers' congresses, and farmers' union; delegates to State and district firemen's conventions from volunteer fire companies; managers of Young Men's Christian Associations, or other eleemosynary institutions while engaged in charitable work; the officers or employees of industrial fairs; provided that no more than four (4) officers or employees of any one fair or fair association shall receive free passage in any one year; persons injured in wrecks upon the road of any such company immediately after such injury, and the physicians and nurses attending such persons at the time thereof; persons and property carried in cases of general epidemic, pestilence, or other calamitous visitation at the time thereof or immediately thereafter; United States Marshals and no more than two (2) of the deputies of each such Marshal; State Rangers; the Adjutant General and Assistant Adjutant General of this State; members of the State Militia in uniform and when called into the service of the State; Sheriffs and no more than two (2) of their deputies; Constables and no more than two (2) of their deputies; Chiefs of Police or city marshals, whether elected or appointed; members of the Livestock Sanitary Commission of Texas and their inspectors not to exceed twenty-five (25) in number for any one year; and any other bona fide peace officer when his duty is to execute criminal process; bona fide policemen or firemen in the service of any city or town in Texas when such policemen or firemen are in the discharge of their public duty; but this provision shall not be construed so as to apply to persons holding commissions as special policemen or firemen.
Amended by Acts 1939, 46th Leg., p. 334, Sec. 1; Acts 1941, 47th Leg., p. 15, ch. 8, Sec. 1.
Art. 4006a. EXCEPTIONS. The preceding article shall not apply in cases where the laws of this State provide that such companies as are referred to in said article, or the receivers or lessees thereof, or persons operating the same, or the officers, agents or employés thereof, may grant free passes, franks, privileges, or substitutes for pay to or for the persons, articles or things referred to and mentioned in said laws and said article.
Acts 1907, p. 94.
Art. 4006b. USING ANOTHER'S PASS. If any person shall present, or offer to use, in his own behalf, any permit or frank whatever, to travel, pass or to convey any person or property or message which has been issued to any other person, or shall, knowing that he is not entitled under the law, apply to any railway, express, telegraph or telephone company, officer, agent, lessee or receiver thereof, for any free pass, frank, privilege or a substitute for pay given or to be used instead of the regular fare or rate for transportation, or for any other consideration, except money, he shall be confined in jail not less than thirty days and not more than twelve months, and be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars.
Acts 1907, p. 95.
Art. 4006-A. FREE TRANSPORTATION TO INDIAN WAR VETERANS. Article 4005 shall not be held to prevent any railway company or other companies mentioned therein from granting free transportation, franks, privileges, or passes to Indian War Veterans, subject to the same limitations as apply to other Veterans provided in Article 4006.
Acts 1931, 42nd Leg., p. 335, ch. 202, Sec. 1.
Art. 4007. DEFINITIONS. The word "employee" as used in this title shall be held to include all officers, agents or employees, actually employed and engaged in the service of such corporation, company, association of persons, including its officers, bona fide ticket and freight agents, physicians, surgeons and general attorneys, and attorneys who appear in court to try cases and receive a reasonable annual salary therefor. The word "family" as used in this title shall include the wife, minor children and dependents of any such employé or person. The words "minister of religion" shall be construed to mean only those whose principal occupation is that of a minister of religion, priest or rabbi.
Art. 4008. SPECIAL RATES. Nothing in this title shall be held to prevent any corporation, association or person mentioned in the first article of this title from granting transportation at the rate of one cent per mile to veterans mentioned in the preceding article, or their wives or widows; honorably discharged soldiers, sailors, marines and Red Cross nurses of the late world war to or from the annual convention, Department of Texas American Legion; any minister of religion for intrastate trips, or from granting to ministers of religion reduced rates of one-half the regular fare, or to prohibit the making of special rates for special occasions or under special conditions, provided authority therefor shall first be obtained from the Railroad Commission of Texas; or to prohibit transportation between points wholly within this State at the reduced rate of one cent per mile while traveling on official business connected with their respective offices, the following named peace officers, to wit: Adjutant General of this State; State rangers; the sheriff of any county, his deputies to be designated by him; constables; chiefs of police and assistant chiefs and captains; city marshals, chief of the detectives of any county or city, and assistant detectives.
Acts 1907, p. 94; Acts 1911, p. 151; Acts 1921, pp. 171, 191, 214; Acts 1923, p. 175; Acts 2nd C.S. 1923, p. 100.
Art. 4008a. AGED, BLIND OR DISABLED PERSONS; SPECIAL RATES. Transportation companies which operate in the municipalities of this state may set special reduced rates or fares for persons who are 60 years of age or older or who are blind or disabled.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 88, ch. 50, Sec. 1, eff. April 6, 1971. Amended by Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 758, ch. 333, Sec. 1, eff. June 12, 1973.
Art. 4008b. STREET RAILWAYS. All persons or corporations owning or operating street railways or motor buses in or upon the public streets of any city of not less than twenty thousand inhabitants are required:
1. To carry children of the age of twelve years or less for one-half the fare regularly collected for the transportation of adults.
2. To sell or provide for the sale of tickets in lots of twenty, each good for one trip over the line or lines owned or operated by such person or corporation, for one-half the regular fare collected for the transportation of adults, to students in actual attendance upon any academic, public or private school of grades not higher than the grades of the public high schools situated within, or adjacent to the town or city in which such railway is located. Such tickets are required to be sold only upon the presentation by the student desiring to purchase them of the written certificate of the principal of the school which he attends showing that such student is in regular attendance upon such school and is within the grades herein provided. Such tickets are not required to be sold to such students and shall not be used except during the months when such schools are in actual session and such students shall be transported at half fare only when they present such tickets.
3. To transport, free of charge, children of the age of five years or less when attended by a passenger of above said age.
4. To accord to all passengers referred to in this Article the same rights as to the use of transfers issued by their own or other lines as are or may be accorded to passengers paying full fare.
Any such person or any officer or employee of any such corporation or other person who knowingly violates any provision of this Article, or any person who misrepresents the age or the grade of any person for the purpose of securing the reduced fare herein provided for, shall be fined not less than Twenty-five nor more than One Hundred Dollars.
Acts 1903, p. 132. Amended by Acts 1931, 42nd Leg., p. 828, ch. 343, Sec. 1.
Art. 4009. FREE TRANSPORTATION. Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit any express company from hauling or carrying free of charge any package or property of its actual bona fide officers, attorneys, agents and employees while in the service of such express company, nor to prevent any article being sent free to any orphan home or other charitable institution, nor to prohibit any telegraph or telephone company from transmitting free of charge any message of its bona fide officers, attorneys, agents or employees and their families while in the actual employment of such company or its receiver or lessee; provided the actual bona fide officers and employees upon annual salaries of railway telephone companies and telegraph companies are hereby permitted to exchange frank privileges and free transportation over their respective lines of railway and telegraph or telephone.
Art. 4010. ADVERTISING. Nothing in this title shall be construed to prevent any of the parties named in the first article hereof, publishers, editors or proprietors of newspapers or magazines, from making an exchange of mileage for advertising space in such newspaper or magazine, provided the contract between the railway companies and publishers, editors or proprietors of such newspapers or magazines shall be at the same rate as is charged the public generally for like service, providing that such contract shall be in writing and shall not be operative until approved by the Railroad Commission of this State, and filed in the office of such Commission, subject at all times to a reasonable public inspection.
Art. 4011. DISCRIMINATION AS TO PERSONS. If any corporation, company, association, or person mentioned in Article 4005 shall grant to any sheriff, constable, or marshal a free pass over its lines of railroad, it shall issue like free transportation to each and every sheriff, constable, or marshal who may make application therefor.
Amended by Acts 1927, 40th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 239, ch. 87, Sec. 1.
Art. 4012. EVIDENCE OF AUTHORITY. Any veteran of any of the wars mentioned in this title, their wives, widows or members of their families, and any minister of religion, or any fireman, sister of charity or member of any religious society of like character, who desires to receive the benefits of free or reduced transportation as mentioned in this title shall present to the president, manager, officer, or person authorized to issue such transportation satisfactory evidence that he or she is entitled thereto, as herein provided. The officers entitled to the benefits of this law shall, when presenting themselves to the agent of any such railway or interurban railway company for the purchase of a ticket or to pay his fare, exhibit to such agent in case of the Adjutant General and State Rangers a certificate of the Secretary of State under the state seal, in case of sheriffs and constables and their deputies a certificate under seal of the county judge of the county where they hold office and in case of officers of a city or town a certificate under seal of the mayor of such city or town stating that such person is entitled to the reduced fare herein provided for. Sheriffs and constables shall designate in writing the two deputies entitled to the reduced rates herein provided for. If the sheriff or constable has designated two deputies who are entitled to such reduced rates, then no deputy of such sheriff or constable shall be entitled to free transportation under the provisions of the pass laws of this State.
Acts 1921, p. 171.
Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 300, Sec. 17, eff. Aug. 30, 1993.
Art. 4013. DISCRIMINATION BY DEVICE. No corporation, company or person mentioned in the first article of this title shall directly or indirectly, by any special rate, rebate, drawback, or other device, demand, exchange, collect or receive from any person, firm, association or corporation a greater or less or different compensation for any service rendered or to be rendered, in the transportation of passengers, properties or messages, than it or he charges, demands, collects or receives from any other corporation, person, firm or association of persons doing business in this State for a like service under substantially similar circumstances and conditions except as is provided in this title, nor shall grant any free transportation or franking privilege to any corporation or person except as provided in this title.
Acts 1907, p. 96.
Art. 4013a. DISCRIMINATION BY DEVICE. No steam or electric railway company, street railway company, interurban railway company, or other chartered transportation company, express company, sleeping car company, telegraph or telephone company, shall directly or indirectly, by any special rate, rebate, drawback, or other device or exchange, demand, charge or collect or receive from any person, firm, association of persons or corporation a greater or less or different compensation for any service rendered, or to be rendered, in the transportation of passengers, property or messages, than it charges, demands, collects or receives from any other person, firm, association of persons or corporation for doing for him, them or it, a like service, if the transportation or transmission is a like kind of traffic or service under substantially similar circumstances and conditions.
Acts 1907, p. 96.
Art. 4014. REPORTS, ETC. Each corporation, company or persons subject to the provisions of this title shall, as and when requested by the Railroad Commission of Texas, furnish said Commission with any and all information which may at any time be requested by said Commission relating to free transportation or right thereto which has been given to travel, or to have property or messages transported or transmitted, free over the lines of any such corporation, company or person, and if requested by said Commission to give the name and address of such person or persons to whom said rights have been granted, either free or at a reduced rate; any corporation, company or person, who shall fail or refuse to comply with the request of the Railroad Commission of Texas, under the provisions of this Act, shall, for each such failure and refusal, be subject to a penalty not exceeding One Thousand ($1,000.00) Dollars, to recover which suit shall be brought by the Attorney General of Texas under the direction of the Railroad Commission; provided, however, that each such corporation, company or person, who complies with the provisions of this Act, from and after January 1, 1931, shall not be required to furnish the reports provided for under Article 4014, Revised Civil Statutes of 1925, which is hereby amended.
Amended by Acts 1931, 42nd Leg., p. 261, ch. 156, Sec. 1.
Art. 4015. PENALTY. Any corporation, company, association of persons or any person named in the first article of this title violating any provision of this title, except Article 4014, shall forfeit and pay to the State of Texas a penalty of five thousand dollars for each violation, to be recovered in suit by the State, brought by the Attorney General or by any county or district attorney under the direction of the Attorney General.
Art. 4015a. UNLAWFULLY USING FREE PASS. Any person, other than the persons excepted by law, who uses such free ticket, free pass or free transportation, frank or privilege over any railway or other transportation line or sleeping or express car, telegraph or telephone line mentioned in the preceding articles of this chapter, for any distance under the control and operation of either of said companies or under their authority, or shall knowingly or wilfully by any means or device whatsoever obtain, use or enjoy from any such company a less fare or rate than is charged, demanded, collected or received by any such company from any other person, firm, association of persons or corporations for doing for him, them or it, a like service, if the transportation or service is of a like kind of traffic or service under substantially similar circumstances and conditions, such person or such officer or agent who acts for such corporation or company thus favored, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars.
Acts 1907, p. 96.
Art. 4015b. EVADING LAW. Any director, officer, agent or any receiver, trustee, lessee or person acting for, or employed by, any company subject to the provisions of the preceding articles of this chapter, who alone, or with any other corporation, company, persons or party, shall wilfully do, or cause to be done, or shall wilfully suffer, or permit to be done, any act, matter or thing in said articles prohibited, or who shall aid or abet therein, or shall wilfully omit or fail to do any act, matter or thing in this Act required to be done, or shall cause or wilfully suffer or permit any act, matter or thing so directed, required by said articles to be done, not to be done, or shall aid or abet any such omission or failure, or shall be guilty of any infraction of said articles, or shall aid or abet therein, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars; and, if the offense for which any person shall be convicted under this article shall be unlawful discrimination in rates, fares or charges for the transportation of passengers or property, or the transmission of messages, such person may, in addition to the fines hereinbefore provided for, at the discretion of the jury, be imprisoned in the penitentiary for not less than six months nor more than two years.
Acts 1907, p. 96.
Art. 4015c. MAY BE COMPELLED TO TESTIFY. In any investigation or prosecution under any provision of this chapter, the court or tribunal in which the same is pending may compel any person to attend and give testimony, and to produce such papers, books and documents as may be desired by the State. No person shall be exempt from giving testimony therein, but no criminal action or proceeding shall be brought or prosecuted against such witness on account of any testimony so given or furnished by him.
Acts 1907, p. 97.
Art. 4015d. REDUCED RATE FOR OFFICERS. Any steam railroad company or any electric interurban railroad company or any person or persons operating the same, or any receiver or receivers, or lessee or lessees thereof, shall be permitted to transport between points wholly within this State at the reduced rate of one cent per mile, while traveling on official business connected with their respective offices, the following named peace officers, to-wit: the Adjutant General; State Rangers; the sheriff of any county, his deputies to be designated by him; constables; chiefs of police and assistant chiefs and captains; city marshals, chief of the detectives of any county or city, and assistant detectives. Any such peace officer who shall procure transportation over any such railroad between points in this State under the provisions of this article and shall use the same for any other than official business connected with the duties of his office, or any person not entitled to the benefits of this law who shall falsely represent himself as entitled to such privileges and shall purchase or offer to purchase transportation over any such railroad company at the rate provided for herein, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars, or be imprisoned in jail not exceeding six months, or both.
Acts 1921, p. 171.
Art. 4015e. COLLECTING FARE FROM STATE OR POLITICAL SUBDIVISION BY OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE USING FREE PASS.
Sec. 1. No officer or employee of the State of Texas, any county, city, town, or village, or of any municipality or political subdivision, using or accepting the benefits of any free pass or franking privilege of any railroad, interurban, motor bus or other transportation line, shall charge, or collect from the State of Texas, or from any county, city, town, village, municipality or political subdivision, the fare or charge which, otherwise, he would have paid to such railroad, interurban, motor bus or other transportation line, by reason of the trip for which such free pass or frank was used.
Sec. 2. Any officer or employee violating any provision of this Act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined in any sum not exceeding One Thousand ($1,000.00) Dollars.
Acts 1931, 42nd Leg., p. 267, ch. 161.
Art. 4015f. PREFERENCE IN TRANSPORTATION. By the word "preference" as used in this article is meant any advantage, privilege, right, opportunity, precedence, choice, favor, priority, or gain that is or may be, or is sought or purposed to be accorded, granted, given, allowed, permitted or extended to any person, place, or thing, as against any other person, place, or thing in the receipt, carriage, transportation, movement, placing, storing, handling, caring for or delivery of any freight, commodity or article, or any railroad car or by any common carrier in this State, or any agent or employé thereof. Any person who shall ask, solicit, demand, or receive, directly or indirectly, from any person, corporate or otherwise, any money, reward, favor, benefit, or other thing of value, or the promise of either, as a consideration for procuring or effecting, or with the intent of the person asking, soliciting, demanding, charging or receiving the same, or the promise thereof, that such person can or will, seek or undertake to procure or effect any preference in the receipt, carriage, transportation, storing, movement, placing, handling, caring for, or delivery of any freight, commodity or article, or any railroad car by any common carrier in this State or any agent or employé thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars and be imprisoned in jail not less than thirty days nor more than six months.
Acts 1921, p. 34.
Art. 4015g. SUITS FOR PENALTY. (a) A suit brought under this title for recovery of penalties may be brought in any county in which:
(1) a violation of this title is committed;
(2) the company or receiver has an agent or representative; or
(3) the principal office of the company is located, or in which a receiver resides.
(b) Of money collected from a penalty in this title:
(1) half, less the commission and expenses allowed by law, shall be deposited in the state treasury; and
(2) the remainder shall be paid into the jury fund of the county in which the suit may be maintained.
Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 85 (S.B. 1540), Sec. 2.07, eff. April 1, 2011.