§ 5362 Charter Vehicle Ownership Definition

• •If a car or bus is used to carry people for money (like a hired bus or van), the 'owner' is the person or company whose name is on the car's registration with the DMV.
• •If the car is leased or rented, the 'owner' is the person or company who has the legal right to use it under the lease or rental agreement.
• •This rule is about who is responsible when something happens with these kinds of vehicles.

A company rents a bus to take kids to a school trip. The bus gets into a crash.

The 'owner' of the bus would be the company that rented it, not the company that actually owns the bus. So, the renting company is responsible.