FMCSA · Motor Carrier
MCS-90B
Motor Carrier Endorsement (Passenger)
Endorsement For Motor Carriers Of Passengers Insurance For Public Liability Under Section 18 Of The Bus Regulatory Reform Act Of 1982 (FMCSA Form MCS-90B)
Passenger-carrier counterpart to the MCS-90 — federally required endorsement on the auto liability policy of any for-hire motor carrier of passengers.
What it does
MCS-90B applies to for-hire motor carriers of passengers (charter buses, shuttles, interstate motorcoaches) subject to 49 CFR Part 387 Subpart B. Financial-responsibility minimums per 49 CFR 387.33 depend on seating capacity: $1,500,000 for vehicles with 1–15 passengers, $5,000,000 for vehicles with 16+ passengers. Functionally identical to the MCS-90 for property: guarantees a public-protection minimum recovery regardless of policy defenses. Shippers don't generally encounter this form; passenger-carrier brokers, charter aggregators, and state DOTs do.
When you need it
- Any for-hire motor carrier of passengers — required by FMCSA under 49 CFR 387.27.
- Charter aggregator platforms vetting bus operators for federal financial-responsibility compliance.
- School-bus contractors operating across state lines (interstate passenger carriage triggers FMCSA jurisdiction).
Common mistakes
- Using the property MCS-90 on a passenger-carrier policy — the regulatory citation and the financial-responsibility math differ.
- Carrying the wrong financial-responsibility amount for seating capacity — $1.5M for ≤15 seats; $5M for ≥16 seats.
- Assuming the endorsement satisfies state intrastate passenger-carriage requirements — some states have higher intrastate minimums than the federal floor.
Verifying MCS-90B on a real certificate?
Bindly Compliance auto-verifies endorsement attachment, named parties, and edition dates on every COI we track. Description-only language and missing forms surface as deficiencies in your dashboard before they become claims.