Non-Passenger License Plates
Page II: Public Service Types
| Bus | Sightseeing Bus |
| Bus | Earliest Known: 1934 |
Current Type Designation: B prefix |
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Just about every jurisdiction has a non-passenger type that's particularly suited to the environment in which it's used, and in D.C., bus is that type. As discussed in our statistics section, the nation's capital has a higher concentration of registered buses than any of the states.
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There is significant confusion about the earliest D.C. bus plates regarding which categories were issued (regular, sightseeing, and possibly commercial) and the meaning (or lack) of prefix letters on known examples. Hopefully, over time, enough examples and photographs will be found to shed some light on early D.C. plates thought to have been used on buses.
We know that special plates were not issued for these vehicles when a system of non-passenger letter prefixes was introduced in 1927, which leads us to conclude that distinctive bus plates were not issued prior to that year, either. It is possible that L-prefix Livery plates were used on buses beginning in 1927, but more likely regular commercial plates were issued. By 1934, however, we know that specially-marked bus plates were provided (based upon photos to be added to this section soon).
Readers are cautioned not to assume that 1927 and later plates with a B prefix were issued exclusively for buses. As will be discussed in the Commercial section, B-prefix plates were issued for all trucks of a certain weight class. When they appeared on buses it was due to the vehicle's weight, not its body style.
| Sightseeing Bus | Earliest Known: 1933 |
No longer issued |
Quite simply, this is a type that we don't know too much about. That it exists as a distinct type we have concluded due to the existence of a 1936 plate, number 52-070, with SIGHT SEEING embossed at the bottom. It's number, in the 50-000 series, coincides nicely with the regular 1936 bus plate number 51-900 pictured above.
As for the two plates pictured immediately above, we don't know for certain that they're representative of this type, but that they are seems a fairly safe bet. The 1933 plate is felt to fit in this category simply due to the SS prefix to the registration number. The 1934 is also thought to have been used on a sightseeing bus due to the S prefix when compared to the other 1934 bus plate pictured on this page, which does not have a letter prefix.
| Hire (Taxi) | Earliest Known: 1920 |
Current Type Designation: H prefix |
Distinctive plates, usually beginning with an H, have been issued for use on taxis since at least as early as 1920, the year of the earliest known example. Whether special taxi plates were used in 1918 and/or 1919 is presently unknown, but it is almost certain that they were not issued prior to 1918.
It was during the 1950s, possibly on the 1953 (dated 3-31-54) plate, that a second letter (e.g. HA-1234) was added. Taxi plates issued from 1948 through 1963 are often confused with regular auto plates due to their identical (aside from the prefix letter) appearance.
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This current style Washington, D.C. registration certificate, for hire plate no H-89164, expired at the end of March 2006. The vehicle is a 1998 Ford four-door, probably a Crown Victoria like the one pictured above. These forms are printed on the same sheet as, and therefore simultaneously with, windshield stickers used to display the registration's validity. |
| Livery | Earliest Known: 1923 |
Current Type Designation: L prefix |
Livery vehicles are vehicle/driver combinations for hire, as are taxis (see Hire), with the difference between the two types being that livery cars cannot solicit passengers on the street. Instead, livery services must be prearranged for.
The earliest know L-prefix plate is from 1923. With the probable exception of the mid-1930s through late 1940s, plates of this type have always been designated by an L prefix.
| Rental | Earliest Known: 1927 |
Current Type Designation: R prefix |
Whether special plates were issued for vehicles offered for rent prior to 1927, when distinctive R-prefix markers were introduced, is unknown. We believe, however, that Rental was among the plate (if not also registration) types that were created at that time. With the exception of the mid-1930s through late 1940s, plates of this type have always been designated by an R prefix. There is, however, some question as to whether 1957 ("3-31-58") through 1963 ("3-31-64" plates with an R prefix (such as the two oldest plates pictured above) are special Rental plates. Click here for a discussion of this question.
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This page last updated on November 9, 2008 |
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