Key facts
- Chauffeur licence
- None among the classes in K.S.A. 8-234b[1]
- Single vehicle under 26,001 lb
- Class C[1]
- 16 or more passengers, including the driver
- Commercial Class C[1]
- Carrying passengers for hire
- A public motor carrier of passengers, under the motor carrier act[2]
- Exempt from the act's certificate
- Taxi companies operated only within a city or within 25 miles of their base in a city[3]
Is there a chauffeur licence in Kansas?
No class of that name exists. K.S.A. 8-234b establishes commercial Classes A, B and C, ordinary Classes A, B and C, and Class M for motorcycles, and every licence shows the class of vehicle its holder is entitled to drive.[1]
Which licence class covers a limousine or a passenger van?
Class C covers a single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating under 26,001 pounds. Once a vehicle is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, it is a commercial Class C vehicle and the driver needs the commercial licence.[1]
Who regulates a company that carries passengers for hire?
The state motor carrier act. It defines a public motor carrier of passengers as any person who undertakes for hire to transport people by commercial motor vehicle, and says no such carrier may operate on a public highway in Kansas except in accordance with the act.[2][4]
Are taxis covered by the motor carrier act?
Not when they stay local. The act asks for no certificate, licence or permit from the state corporation commission for transportation wholly within the corporate limits of a city, or for taxi companies whose commercial vehicles are operated exclusively within a city or within 25 miles of their principal place of business in a city.[3]
Frequently asked questions
What licence do I need to drive 16 passengers in Kansas?
A commercial Class C licence. Kansas puts vehicles designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, in that class.
Sources
Fees and rules change. Each source is the official page we read, with the date we read it; check it before you apply or pay.
- [1] Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 8-234b, classes of drivers' licenses (read 11 Nov 2026)
- [2] Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 66-1,108, motor carrier definitions (read 11 Nov 2026)
- [3] Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 66-1,109, carriers exempt from the motor carrier act (read 11 Nov 2026)
- [4] Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 66-1,111, carriers that must comply with the act (read 11 Nov 2026)
