Non-Passenger License Plates
Page II: Public Service Types

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Not much is known about this registration type. That it exists 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 on our page dedicated to Bus plates.

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 1934 bus plate pictured on a separate page, which does not have a letter prefix.

District of Columbia license plates from 1957 (marked "3-31-58") through the late 1960s that feature a BS prefix are known to represent a type separate from regular Bus and the separate Sightseeing Bus type that existed in the 1930s. The 1957-1960s version of this type was created in February 1957 "because of the entrance of the D.C. Transit Company into the field of sightseeing services," according to a Dept. of Vehicles and Traffic memo on the subject. Used BS-series plates are known from only 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964, and unissued examples of the 1965 ("3-31-66") base are also known. The lowest and highest numbers on known used examples are BS-129 and BS-208, suggesting that numbers began annually at BS-100 (or possibly BS-101) and that fewer than 125 sets were likely issued annually.

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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. When plates were issued annually and for years for which examples of plates of this type are known (i.e. the 1960s), numbers presumably began at LA-100 or LA-101 and progressed as high as necessary. That no used plates of this period have been observed with numbers higher than LA-358 indicate that it is unlikely that more than 300 sets of Livery plates were ever issued during a single year, making this a scarce type. License plate collectors of the 1960s (one in particular) apparently collected used plates from the relatively few companies to which they were issued, making them somewhat common today, but this belies their status relative to the prevalence of plates of other types on D.C. roads while they were in use. Livery plates are still relatively rare today.

This 1964 Livery registration certificate, for plate no. LA-227, was carried in a 1962 Checker Marathon station wagon as it transported passengers to and from National Airport and other D.C., Md., and Virginia destinations. The circular stamps on the back provide evidence of the vehicle having been inspected on July 8, 1964, and January 26, 1965. Note that this heavy paper certificate has been marked with unusual paper punches that left the impressions of numbers 53, 56, and 57.

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.

	This page last updated on August 8, 2010
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