[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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