[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 160 (Friday, August 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42677-42678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20916]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board 1
[STB No. MC-F-19190 (Sub-No. 1)]
Adirondack Transit Lines, Inc., Pine Hill-Kingston Bus Corp. and
Passenger Bus Corporation--Pooling--Greyhound Lines, Inc., and Vermont
Transit Company, Inc.
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.
\1\ The ICC Termination Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-88, 109 Stat.
803, which was enacted on December 29, 1995, and took effect on
January 1, 1996, abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission and
transferred certain functions and proceedings to the Surface
Transportation Board (Board). This notice relates to functions that
are subject to Board jurisdiction pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 14302.
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ACTION: Notice of proposed service pooling application.
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SUMMARY: By application filed June 7, 1996, the Adirondack Group
[Adirondack Transit Lines, Inc. (Adirondack), and its corporate
affiliates, Pine Hill-Kingston Bus Corp. (Pine Hill) and Passenger Bus
Corporation (PBC), all of Kingston, NY] and the Greyhound System
[Greyhound Lines, Inc. (Greyhound), of Dallas, TX, and its corporate
affiliate, Vermont Transit Co., Inc. (Vermont), of Burlington, VT]
jointly request approval of a service pooling agreement under 49 U.S.C.
14302 with respect to motor passenger transportation services between
various points in New York, including services extending between New
York City, NY, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
DATES: Comments must be filed by September 16, 1996, and applicants'
rebuttal must be filed by October 7, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Send an original and 10 copies of comments referring to STB
[[Page 42678]]
Docket No. MC-F-19190 (Sub-No. 1) to: Surface Transportation Board,
Office of the Secretary, Case Control Branch, 1201 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20423. In addition, send one copy of comments to
each of applicants' representatives: (1) Lawrence E. Lindeman, Suite
311, 218 N. Lee Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2531; (2) Mark E.
Southerst, General Counsel, Greyhound Lines, Inc., P.O. Box 660362,
Dallas, TX 75266-0362; and (3) Fritz R. Kahn, Suite 750 West, 1100 New
York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005-3934.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Llewellyn Brown, (202) 927-5252,
or Beryl Gordon, (202) 927-5660. [TDD for the hearing impaired: (202)
927-5721.]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In Adirondack Lines, Inc., and Pine Hill-
Kingston Bus Corp.--Pooling--Greyhound Lines, Inc., No. MC-F-19190 (ICC
served Feb. 8, 1989), a service pooling agreement was approved between
Adirondack and Pine Hill, on the one hand, and Greyhound, on the other,
over their routes between Albany, NY, and New York City.
Applicants now seek to extend the scope of their coordinated
operations 2 over the following additional routes: (1) Between
Buffalo, NY, and New York City; (2) between Albany and Buffalo; (3)
between Albany and points on Long Island, NY; and (4) between New York
City and Montreal.3 These routes also serve such intermediate
points as Syracuse and Rochester, NY.
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\2\ The application indicates that applicants intend only to
pool their services over these routes, and not to pool revenues or
share expenses (except, perhaps, to the extent that use of common
terminal facilities would result in sharing certain overhead
expenses). Additionally, the application states that package express
traffic is expected to be the subject of a later agreement. The
appended agreement, however, purports to cover all ``bus
operations'' and explicitly contemplates both passenger and package
express traffic. Applicants should clarify this matter by the date
comments are due.
\3\ These routes are all operated in interstate or foreign
commerce. The New York City-Buffalo route traverses New Jersey and
serves Ridgeview, NJ. The Albany-Buffalo route is part of through
services between such points as Boston, MA, and Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. The Albany-Long Island route provides advertised connections
to and from points in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and it connects
with the New York City-Montreal route.
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The Adirondack Group operates 6 eastbound and 7 westbound trips
daily between Albany and either Buffalo or Syracuse. Greyhound operates
6 daily round trips between Buffalo and either Albany or Syracuse.
Between Buffalo and New York City, the Adirondack Group operates 4
southbound trips and 3 northbound trips, and Greyhound operates 11
round trips. Between Albany and points on Long Island, the Adirondack
Group operates 3 daily round trips and an additional weekend round trip
on specified dates,4 and the Greyhound System operates 1 daily
round trip. Between New York City and Montreal, the Adirondack Group
operates 4 daily round trips,5 and Greyhound operates 5 daily
round trips and 1 additional round trip on weekends.
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\4\ The application states there are 5 daily round trips.
However, footnotes in the bus schedules appended to the application
indicate that two of these round trips operate only on specified
dates and one of the two operates only between Kingston, NY, and
Long Island.
\5\ The Adirondack Group proposed to begin operations to and
from Montreal in June 1996.
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Because their competing services, in many instances, operate at
nearly the same times of day with buses that are only partially loaded,
applicants assert that their operations are inefficient, costly, and,
as a consequence, unable to compete effectively with Amtrak, airline
service, and private automobiles.
The Adirondack Group operates over 1,500 miles of intercity bus
routes, predominantly in New York, under the following operating
authorities: No. MC-28356 (Adirondack); No. MC-2060 (Pine Hill); and
No. MC-276393 (PBC).6
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\6\ The appendices or exhibits attached to the application
appear to indicate that PBC operates under the trade name New York
Trailways, but the record is not clear on this point. Applicants
should either confirm or correct this point, as well, by the date
comments are due.
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The Greyhound System operates over 90,000 miles of intercity bus
routes throughout the nation. Greyhound holds operating authority under
No. MC-1515, and Vermont holds operating authority under No. MC-45626.
Applicants contend that there is substantial intermodal competition
between points on the affected routes. They assert that Amtrak operates
daily passenger train service between New York City and Buffalo, New
York City and Montreal, and New York City and Albany. Additionally,
they identify numerous air flights \7\ and contend that the region's
highway network makes private automobile travel relatively quick and
inexpensive.
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\7\ Applicants state that there are at least 75 daily flights in
each direction between New York City and Buffalo or intermediate
points, via American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines,
U.S. Air, and United Airlines; 9 daily flights in each direction
between Albany and Buffalo or intermediate points, via U.S. Air; 27
daily flights in each direction between New York City and Montreal,
via American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental Airlines, and Delta
Airlines; and 6 daily flights in each direction between Albany and
points on Long Island, via U.S. Air.
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The proposed pooling of services, according to applicants, will
enable them to increase their passenger load per bus. This, in turn,
will reduce their unit costs and make their services more competitive.
Additionally, they emphasize that the proposed pooling of service will
permit them to spread their schedules out more evenly throughout the
day, affording the traveling public a greater choice of departure times
and enhancing the convenience of bus travel.
Applicants already operate from common terminals in Schenectady and
White Plains, NY. They assert that these joint terminal operations have
reduced their unit costs and improved their competitive posture. Joint
terminals, they note, are more convenient for passengers as well. With
joint terminals, passengers may board the next bus to their destination
without regard to which carrier operates the particular schedule.
Connections are enhanced as well because passengers can transfer
between buses of the different carriers without changing terminals.
Applicants assert that they are not domiciled in Mexico and are not
owned or controlled by persons of that country. In addition, they
assert that approval of the service pooling agreement will not
significantly affect either the quality of the human environment or the
conservation of energy resources. Although it does not appear that
significant environmental or energy conservation effects will result
from approval of this application, comments are also invited on this
issue.
Copies of the pooling application may be obtained free of charge by
contacting applicants' representatives. In the alternative, the pooling
application may be inspected at the offices of the Surface
Transportation Board, Room 1221, during normal business hours.
[Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through TDD service
on (202) 927-5721.]
A copy of this notice will be served on the Department of Justice,
Antitrust Division, 10th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20530.
Decided: August 7, 1996.
By the Board, Chairman Morgan, Vice Chairman Simmons, and
Commissioner Owen.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-20916 Filed 8-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P