[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43115-43116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21112]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Charter Services Demonstration Program; Public Meeting
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting, open to all interested
parties, to discuss and comment on the Federal Transit Administration's
(FTA) draft final report to Congress on the charter services
demonstration program mandated by section 3040 of the Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). Under
[[Page 43116]]
the current charter regulations, a recipient of FTA assistance may not
provide charter service except under certain limited exceptions.
DATES: The meeting will take place on September 12, 1996, from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in room 10234-10238 at the
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Walter Kulyk, Office of Mobility Innovation, Federal Transit
Administration (TRI-10), at 202-366-4991.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 3040 of ISTEA directed FTA to issue regulation to implement
a charter service demonstration in not more than four states. During
the demonstration, public transit operators would be permitted to
provide charter service to meet the charter needs of government, civic,
charitable, and other community organizations that would not otherwise
be served in a cost effective or efficient manner. Section 3040
required FTA to submit a report to Congress evaluating the
effectiveness of the charter demonstration program and providing
recommendations for improving the current service regulations.
In conformance with section 3040, FTA established in eight sites
nationwide a demonstration program aimed at determining whether FTA's
charter regulations should be amended to allow public transit agencies
to provide charter service to government, charitable, civic, and
community groups that would otherwise not be served in a cost effective
and efficient manner. The report provides detailed information about
the type and amount of service provided during the demonstration, as
well as the impact of the demonstration on customers served and on
private charter operators.
FTA Charter Demonstration
FTA established a Federal Advisory Committee (FAC), comprised of
individuals equally representing public and private operators, to
assist FTA in implementing regulations establishing the charter
demonstration. FTA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the
Federal Register on October 28, 1992, soliciting proposals from transit
agencies to participate in the demonstration. FTA received six
proposals and, after consulting with the FAC, selected the following
public operators to participate in the demonstration:
* Monterey-Salinas Transit, Monterey, California.
* Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma.
* Bi-State Development Agency, St. Louis, Missouri.
* Michigan Department of Transportation on behalf of four unnamed
transit agencies within the State of Michigan.
* Yolo County Transit Authority, Yolo County, California.
MDOT subsequently selected the following public transit operators
to participate in the demonstration in Michigan:
* Isabella County Transportation Commission, Isabella County,
Michigan.
* Capital Area Transit Authority, Lansing, Michigan.
* Marquette County Area Transportation Authority, Marquette County,
Michigan.
* Muskegon Area Transit System, Muskegon, Michigan.
FTA issued the Final Rule on July 9, 1993 implementing the charter
demonstration for a one-year period from August 9, 1993 through August
9, 1994. FTA subsequently extended the demonstration to October 31,
1994, and again to October 31, 1995, to address public operators'
concerns that the demonstration did not provide adequate time for full
implementation.
Local Implementation of the Charter Demonstration
The Charter Bus Demonstration Regulations emphasized the need for a
local decision making process. The final rule provided for the
selection of a local advisory committee, appointed by the Board,
composed of equal representation of public and private operators. The
local advisory committees in each site developed a local charter
policy, and the Board approved it. The Board automatically approved the
local charter policy if the Committee unanimously approved it. The
Committee provided a means for both the public and private sectors to
express their opinions and encouraged cooperation among the groups.
In each demonstration site, the local committees agreed to broad
categories of customers that the public operator could serve during the
demonstration. Several of the committees debated in the initial
meetings whether to permit broad categories or to review exceptions on
a case-by-case basis. Generally, committee members agreed that the
process of reviewing each charter request to determine whether the
public operator could provide the service was cumbersome and did not
serve the customer well.
Although each local advisory committee developed its own policy for
the demonstration, the local charter policies focused on the following
groups and types of charter:
* Member governments.
* Economic development groups and chambers of commerce.
* Convention-related charters.
* Community organizations and events.
* Charters with unique equipment.
* Charters for private individuals and organizations through a
referral process.
The Draft Final Report
In conformance with section 3040 of ISTEA, FTA has prepared a draft
final report that sets out the findings of the demonstration program
and makes proposals for improving the current charter regulations. The
report provides detailed data on the amount and type of service
provided by public operators during the demonstration, the categories
of groups served, and the impact of this service on both customers and
private charter operators.
Prior to finalizing this report and its proposals for modifying the
current charter regulations, FTA wishes to convene a public meeting to
discuss the demonstration findings and conclusions.
This meeting will be open to all interested parties. FTA will
submit a final report to Congress after the meeting.
Issued on: August 14, 1996.
Gordon J. Linton,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-21112 Filed 8-19-96; 8:45 am]
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