Section 575IAC1-9-66. Seats

   (a) Jump seats or portable seats are prohibited.

  (b) Type A and Type B buses must have a distance of at least six (6) inches between the rearmost portion of the seat backs of the rear row of seats and the outside rear of the bus body (not including the rear bumper), measured at the floor line.

  (c) Type C and Type D buses must have a distance between the rearmost portion of the seat backs of the rear row of seats and the outside rear of the bus body (not including the rear bumper), measured at the floor line, of at least eight (8) inches.

  (d) School bus design capacities must be in accordance with 49 CFR, Part 571.3, Definitions, and FMVSS No. 222, School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection.

  (e) All seats must:

(1) have a minimum cushion depth of fifteen (15) inches;

(2) have a seat back height of twenty-four (24) inches above the seating reference point; and

(3) comply with all other requirements of FMVSS No. 222.

  (f) Each seat leg must be secured to the floor by a minimum of two (2) bolts, washers, and nuts. Flange-head nuts may be used in lieu of nuts and washers. All seat frames attached to the seat rail must be fastened with two (2) or more bolts, washers, and nuts, or flange-head nuts. Seats may be track-mounted in conformance with FMVSS No. 222.

  (g) If track seating is installed, the manufacturer must supply minimum and maximum seat spacing dimensions (applicable to the bus) that comply with FMVSS No. 222. This information must be on a label permanently affixed to the bus.

  (h) All school buses (including Type A) must be equipped with restraining barriers that conform to FMVSS No. 222.

  (i) A flip-up seat may be installed at any side emergency door. If provided, the flip-up seat must conform to FMVSS No. 222 and aisle clearance requirements of FMVSS No. 217, Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release and must meet the following conditions:

(1) The flip-up seat must be free of sharp projections on the underside of the seat bottom.

(2) The underside of the flip-up seat bottoms must be padded or contoured to reduce the possibility of clothing being snagged.

(3) Flip-up seats must be constructed to prevent passenger limbs from becoming entrapped between the seat back and the seat cushion when the seat is in the upright position.

(4) The seat cushion must be designed to rise to a vertical position automatically when it is not occupied.

  (j) Each seat, seat back cushion, and crash barrier must be covered with a material that has a minimum forty-two (42) ounce finished weight, fifty-four (54) inch width, and a finished vinyl coating of 1.06 broken twill or its equivalent in:

(1) tensile strength;

(2) tear strength;

(3) seam strength;

(4) adhesion strength;

(5) resistance to abrasion and cold; and

(6) flex separation.

All seat-covering material must be free of holes or tears.

  (k) The seats must provide for at least a twenty-four (24) inch knee space, measured from the seat cushion level at the midpoint of the transverse line of the seat. (State School Bus Committee; 575 IAC 1-9-66; filed Aug 15, 2014, 10:20 a.m.: 20140910-IR-575130244FRA)