The American Bus Association today filed with the Federal Transit Agency (FTA) its opposition to a request from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) for an exemption from the FTA’s charter bus regulation. The charter bus regulation prohibits public transit agencies from doing work normally provided by private bus and motorcoach operators.
In its letter to the Department of Transportation, ABA argues that Charlotte, North Carolina, officials have not exhausted all efforts to find privately operated motorcoaches to provide charter service to meet the demands of the upcoming Democratic National Convention from September 1st, 2012, to September 6th, 2012.
“The law is clearly on the side of the private motorcoach companies, and the American Bus Association continues to defend the rights of small, medium and larger owner/operators to operate their businesses and compete on a level playing field with publicly subsidized operators,” Peter Pantuso, ABA president and CEO, said in a written statement.
“Private over-the-road bus and motorcoach companies and public transit agencies each have important, but very different, roles to play in our overall transportation network,” Pantuso added. “Charlotte Area Transit System officials are attempting to do the work that the federal government clearly says should be done by the private sector.”