68 FR 191 pgs. 57304-57305 - Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility Program Announcement of Project Selections
Type: NOTICEVolume: 68Number: 191Pages: 57304 - 57305
FR document: [FR Doc. 03-24965 Filed 10-1-03; 8:45 am]
Agency: Transportation Department
Sub Agency: Federal Transit Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility Program Announcement of Project Selections
AGENCY:
Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects to be funded under Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations for the Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) Accessibility Program, authorized by Section 3038 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The OTRB Accessibility Program makes funds available to private operators of over-the-road buses to help finance the incremental capital and training costs of complying with DOT's over-the-road bus accessibility rule, published in the Federal Register on September 24, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The appropriate FTA Regional Administrator for grant-specific issues; or Blenda Younger, Office of Program Management, 202-366-2053, for general information about the OTRB Program.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A total of $6.9 million was made available for the program in FY 2003: $5.2 million for intercity fixed-route providers and $1.7 million for all other providers, such as commuter, charter, and tour operators. A total of 84 applicants requested $17.6 million: $10.5 million was requested by intercity fixed-route providers, and $7.1 million was requested by all other providers. Project selections were made on a discretionary basis, based on each applicant's responsiveness to statutory project selection criteria, fleet size, and level of funding received in previous years. Because of the high demand for the funds available, most applicants received less funding than they requested, but all qualified applicants received some funding. The selected projects will provide funding for the incremental cost of adding lifts to 128 new vehicles, retrofitting 80 vehicles, and $335,546 for training. Each of the following 74 awardees, as well as the 10 applicants who were not selected for funding, will receive a letter that explains how funding decisions were made.
| Operator | City/State | Award amounts | Intercity fixed-route | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region I: | |||||
| Bonanza Bus Lines | Providence, RI | $109,935 | $109,935 | ||
| Bristol Tours, Inc | Bristol, VT | 39,547 | 39,547 | ||
| Concord Coach Lines, Inc | Concord, NH | 48,800 | 48,800 | ||
| Entertainment Tours | Braintree, MA | 63,000 | 63,000 | ||
| Peter Pan Bus Lines | Springfield, MA | 157,859 | 157,859 | ||
| Vermont Transit Co | Burlington, VT | 33,151 | 33,151 | ||
| Region II: | |||||
| Adirondack Trailways | Hurley, NY | 187,500 | 187,500 | ||
| Blue Bird Coach Lines, Inc | N.Tonawanda, NY | 87,030 | 87,030 | ||
| Hampton Jitney, Inc | Southampton, NY | 28,800 | 28,800 | ||
| Shortline (Hudson Transit) | Mahwah, NJ | 180,000 | 180,000 | ||
| Sunrise Coach Lines, Inc | Green Port, NY | 39,384 | 39,384 | ||
| Syracuse and Oswego Motor Lines | E. Syracuse, NY | 43,481 | 43,481 | ||
| Trans Express, Inc | Brooklyn, NY | 33,750 | 33,750 | ||
| Trolley Tours, Inc | Forked River, NJ | 72,000 | 22,950 | 94,950 | |
| Utica Rome Bus Company | Clinton, NY | 41,990 | 41,990 | ||
| Region III: | |||||
| Abbott Bus Lines, Inc | Roanoke, VA | 91,482 | 91,482 | ||
| Angelic Luxury Coach, Inc | District Hgts, MD | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||
| Brown Bus Company | Richmond, VA | 28,710 | 28,710 | ||
| Butler Motor Transit | Butler, PA | 37,800 | 37,800 | ||
| Capitol Bus Company | Harrisburg, PA | 50,400 | 50,400 | ||
| Elegance Bus Tours, Inc | Suitland, MD | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||
| Eyre Bus Service, Inc | Glenelg, MD | 63,142 | 63,142 | ||
| First Priority Tours, Inc | District Hgts. MD | 20,965 | 20,965 | ||
| Hagey Coach, Inc | Franconia, PA | 50,400 | 50,400 | ||
| Krapf's Coaches, Inc | West Chester, PA | 25,200 | 25,200 | ||
| Lenzer Tour and Travel | Sewickley, Pa | 37,800 | 37,800 | ||
| Penn Highway Transit Co | Lancaster, PA | 33,712 | 33,712 | ||
| Perkiomen Tours | Pennsburg, PA | 33,300 | 33,300 | ||
| Susquehanna Transit Co | Avis, PA | 100,596 | 100,596 | ||
| Thomas Tours | Beltsville, MD | 12,617 | 12,617 | ||
| Trans-Bridge Lines | Bethlehem, PA | 154,101 | 154,101 | ||
| Region IV: | |||||
| Americoach Tours | Memphis, TN | 38,250 | 38,250 | ||
| Blue Grass Tours, Inc | Lexington, KY | 28,507 | 28,507 | ||
| Carolina Trailways | Raleigh, NC | 33,151 | 33,151 | ||
| Champion Coach | Greenville, SC | 27,000 | 27,000 | ||
| Escot Bus Lines, Inc | Tampa, FL | 39,368 | 39,368 | ||
| Good Time Tours | Pensacola, FL | 2,700 | 2,700 | ||
| Lancaster Tours and Travel | Lancaster, SC | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||
| North Mississippi Services | Tupelo, MS | 45,814 | 45,814 | ||
| Region V: | |||||
| Alpha Bus Leasing | Cincinnati, OH | 54,871 | 54,871 | ||
| BW Charters, Inc | Kalamazoo, MI | 36,961 | 36,961 | ||
| Brecksville Road Transit, Inc | Brecksville, OH | 37,104 | 37,104 | ||
| Cavallo Bus Lines, Inc | Gillespie, IL | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||
| Colonial Coach Lines | Des Plaines, IL | 112,274 | 112,274 | ||
| Dixon Meyers Bus Transportation | Mt. Morris, IL | 35,946 | 35,946 | ||
| Jefferson Lines | Minneapolis, MN | 133,250 | 133,250 | ||
| Peoria Charter Coach Co | Peoria, IL | 35,910 | 35,910 | ||
| Pioneer Coach Lines, Inc | Chicago, IL | 27,000 | 27,000 | ||
| Red River Trails | Moorhead, MN | 27,239 | 27,239 | ||
| Robinson Coach | Evanston, IL | 35,500 | 35,500 | ||
| Trobec Bus Service, Inc | St. Stephen, MN | 27,000 | 27,000 | ||
| Vandalia Bus Lines, Inc | Caseyville, Il | 52,332 | 52,332 | ||
| Wisconsin Coach | Waukesha, WI | 108,000 | 108,000 | ||
| Region VI: | |||||
| Cowtown Bus Charters, Inc | Fort Worth, TX | 28,474 | 28,474 | ||
| El Expresso | Houston, TX | 76,050 | 76,050 | ||
| Fun Time Tours | Corpus Christi, TX | 38,554 | 38,554 | ||
| Gotta Go Express Trailways | Fort Worth, TX | 25,626 | 25,626 | ||
| Greyhound | Dallas, TX | 2,588,544 | 2,588,544 | ||
| Gulf Coast Transit | Houston, TX | 38,250 | 38,250 | ||
| Kerrville Bus Co | San Antonio, TX | 176,670 | 176,670 | ||
| TNMO | Lubbock,TX | 165,755 | 165,755 | ||
| Valley Transit | Harlingen, TX | 99,453 | 99,453 | ||
| Region VII: | |||||
| Burlington Trailways | W. Burlington, IA | 85,488 | 85,488 | ||
| Tiger Air Express, Inc | Columbia, MO | 45,022 | 45,022 | ||
| Region VIII: | |||||
| Express Charters, Inc | Fort Collins, CO | 27,000 | 27,000 | ||
| Utah Trailways | Salt Lake City, UT | 28,135 | 28,135 | ||
| Region IX: | |||||
| Marin Airporter | San Rafael, CA | 112,365 | 112,365 | ||
| Pacific Coachways | Garden Grove, CA | 25,200 | 25,200 | ||
| Quest Transportation, Inc | San Luis Obispo, CA | 74,160 | 74,160 | ||
| RDH Transportation Services | Honolulu, Hawaii | 55,576 | 55,576 | ||
| Silverado Stages, Inc | San Luis Obispo, CA | 74,160 | 74,160 | ||
| Region X: | |||||
| Central Washington Airporter | Ferndale, WA | 44,305 | 44,305 | ||
| Northwestern Stage Lines | Spokane, WA | 29,250 | 29,250 | ||
| Premier Alaska Tours, Inc | Anchorage, AK | 26,316 | 26,316 | ||
| Total | 5,182,982 | 1,688,950 | 6,871,932 |
Eligible project costs may be incurred by awardees prior to final grant approval. The incremental capital cost for adding wheelchair lift equipment to any new vehicles delivered on or after June 9, 1998, the effective date of TEA-21, is eligible for funding under the OTRB Accessibility Program.
Applicants selected for funding may be contacted by FTA regional offices if additional information is needed before grants are made. The grant applications will be sent to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for certification under labor protection requirements pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5333(b). After referring applications to affected employees represented by a labor organization, DOL will issue a certification to FTA. Terms and conditions of the certification will be incorporated in the FTA grant agreement under the new guidelines replacing those in 29 CFR Part 215. Please see Amendment to Section 5333(b), Guidelines to Carry Out New Programs Authorized by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21); Final Rule (64 FR 40990, July 28, 1999).
Issued on: September 26, 2003.
Jennifer L. Dorn,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-24965 Filed 10-1-03; 8:45 am]
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