Section 4-503 - Rate discrimination(a) This section does not apply to service rendered or commodities furnished:(1) to the officers, employees, pensioners, and immediate family members of the officers, employees, and pensioners of a public service company;(2) to the United States, the State, or a local government;(3) to provide relief in cases of general epidemic, pestilence, flood, or other similar calamity;(4) in the case of common carriers, to transport:(i) personnel of another common carrier that reciprocates for personnel of the transporting common carrier;(iii) indigent, destitute, and homeless individuals;(iv) persons exclusively engaged in charitable work;(v) residents of federal or State veterans homes, including those about to enter a home or those returning from a home;(vi) railway mail service employees and baggage agents;(vii) post office, customs, and immigration inspectors;(viii) newspaper vendors;(ix) property for exhibition carried to or from fairs and expositions;(x) employees of sleeping car companies, express companies, telegraph companies, and telephone companies doing business along the line of the common carrier;(xi) persons and property incident to or connected with contracts for construction, operation, or maintenance of the plant of the transportation company, to the extent provided in the contracts;(xii) individuals injured in accidents and physicians, nurses, or other necessary caretakers attending the injured individuals in transit;(xiii) children under the age of 5 years for no charge;(xiv) children under 12 years for half fare; or(xv) persons at free or reduced rates that are otherwise authorized by law;(5) in the case of common carriers, for the issuance of mileage, excursion, or commuter tickets;(6) to free steamboat excursion transportation from May through August of each year, from Baltimore City to any place in the State, in exchange for services rendered in advertising the excursion business;(7) to obtain essential data by a method that uses a limited sample of customers, in connection with a rate structure study conducted under formal proceedings before the Commission;(8) to telephone lifeline service provided to eligible subscribers under § 8-201 of this article; or(9) to electricity or gas service provided to eligible limited-income customers through an approved limited-income mechanism under § 4-308 of this title.(b) For any service rendered or commodity furnished, a public service company may not directly or indirectly, by any means, including special rates, rebates, drawbacks, or refunds: (1) charge, demand, or receive from a person compensation that is greater or less than from any other person under substantially similar circumstances;(2) extend a privilege or facility to a person, except those privileges and facilities that are extended uniformly to all persons under substantially similar circumstances;(3) discriminate against a person, locality, or particular class of service; or(4) give undue or unreasonable preference to or cause undue or unreasonable prejudice to a person, locality, or particular class of service.Amended by 2021 Md. Laws, Ch. 639, Sec. 1, eff. 5/30/2021.Amended by 2021 Md. Laws, Ch. 638, Sec. 1, eff. 5/30/2021.