(a)
The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any vehicle operated by the state, or by any county, city and county, city, district, or political subdivision of the state, or the United States, as a lessee under a lease, lease-sale, or rental-purchase agreement which grants possession of the vehicle to the lessee for a period of 30 consecutive days or more.
(b)
The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any privately owned schoolbus, as defined in Section 545 of the Vehicle Code, which is either:
(1)
Owned by a private nonprofit educational organization and operated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Education exclusively in transporting school pupils, or school pupils and employees, of such private nonprofit educational organization, or
(2)
Operated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Education exclusively in transporting school pupils, or school pupils and employees, of any public school or private nonprofit educational organization pursuant to a contract between a public school district or nonprofit educational organization and the owner or operator of the schoolbus.
This subdivision shall not, however, be applicable to any schoolbus which is operated pursuant to any contract which requires the public school district or nonprofit educational organization to pay any amount representing the costs of registration and weight fees unless and until the contract is amended to require only the payment of an amount representing the fee required by this section.