70 FR 210 pgs. 65966-65968 - Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility Program Announcement of Project Selections
Type: NOTICEVolume: 70Number: 210Pages: 65966 - 65968
FR document: [FR Doc. 05-21722 Filed 10-31-05; 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 2005 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 2005: $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 120 applicants requested $33.7 million: $19.5 million was requested by intercity fixed-route providers, and $14.2 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 almost all qualified applicants received some funding. The selected projects will provide funding for the incremental cost of adding lifts to 72 new vehicles, retrofitting 122 vehicles, and $53,099 for training. Each of the following 93 awardees, as well as the 27 applicants who were not selected for funding, will receive a letter that explains how funding decisions were made.
| Operator | City/State | Intercity fixed-route | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region I | ||||
| Arrow Line | E. Hartford, CT | $35,932 | $35,932 | |
| Bonanza Bus Lines | Providence, RI | $32,881 | 32,881 | |
| Concord Coach Lines, Inc. | Concord, NH | 46,800 | 46,800 | |
| Dartmouth Transportation Co., Inc. | Concord, NH | 23,900 | 23,900 | |
| DATTCO, Inc. | New Britain, CT | 35,000 | 35,000 | |
| ML Transit Systems, Inc. | Woburn, MA | 35,000 | 35,000 | |
| Peter Pan Bus Lines | Springfield, MA | 31,461 | 31,461 | |
| Plymouth Brockton | Plymouth, MA | 55,620 | 55,620 | |
| Premier Coach Company, Inc. | Colchester, VT | 26,980 | 26,980 | |
| Vermont Transit Co., Inc. | Burlington, VT | 40,557 | 40,557 | |
| Region II | ||||
| Adirondack Trailways | Hurley, NY | 33,500 | 33,500 | |
| Blue Bird Coach Lines | N. Tonawanda, NY | 45,270 | 45,270 | |
| Hampton Jitney, Inc. | Southampton, NY | 59,412 | 59,412 | |
| Lion Trailways | Rio Grande, NJ | 88,673 | 88,673 | |
| Onondaga Coach Corp. | Auburn, NY | 25,200 | 25,200 | |
| Star Transit Company, Inc. | Trenton, NJ | 36,000 | 36,000 | |
| Sunrise Coach Lines, Inc. | Greenport, NY | 70,924 | 70,924 | |
| Syracuse and Oswego Coach | E. Syracuse, NY | 40,500 | 40,500 | |
| Utica Rome Bus Company | Clinton, NY | 42,750 | 42,750 | |
| Region III | ||||
| Abbott Bus Lines, Inc. | Roanoke, VA | 39,600 | 39,600 | |
| Bieber Tourways | Kutztown, PA | 58,291 | 58,291 | |
| Buco Transportation/Campbell | Slippery Rock, PA | 24,040 | 24,040 | |
| David Thomas Tours, Inc. | Philadelphia, PA | 28,800 | 28,800 | |
| Dillon's Bus Service, Inc. | Millersville, MD | 27,000 | 27,000 | |
| First Priority Tours, Inc. | District Hgts., MD | 21,393 | 21,393 | |
| Fullington Trailways | Clearfield, PA | 51,485 | 51,485 | |
| Gold Line, Inc. | Tuxedo, MD | 82,000 | 82,000 | |
| Gunther Charters, Inc. | Hanover, MD | 26,100 | 26,100 | |
| James River Bus Lines | Richmond, VA | 27,000 | 27,000 | |
| Keller Transportation, Inc. | Waldorf, MD | 78,101 | 78,101 | |
| Morgan's Bus Tours, Inc. | Upper Marlboro, MD | 29,250 | 29,250 | |
| National Coach Works of Virginia | Tuxedo, MD | 42,000 | 42,000 | |
| Trans-Bridge Lines | Bethlehem, PA | 58,500 | 58,500 | |
| Region IV | ||||
| American Charters, LTD. | Charlotte, NC | 24,000 | 24,000 | |
| American Coach of Atlanta, Inc. | Norcross, GA | 22,500 | 22,500 | |
| American Coach Lines Jacksonville | Jacksonville, FLA | 52,200 | 52,200 | |
| American Coach Lines Miami | Miami-Dade, FLA | 32,625 | 32,625 | |
| Angelic Tours and Shuttles | Fayetteville, NC | 40,000 | 40,000 | |
| Capitol City Transit Lines | Atlanta, GA | 36,000 | 36,000 | |
| Coach Ride, LLC | Starkville, MS | 25,200 | 25,200 | |
| Gentry Coach Company | Knoxville, TN | 25,179 | 25,179 | |
| Holiday Tours, Inc. | Marietta, GA | 27,816 | 27,816 | |
| Lancaster Tours Inc. | Lancaster, SC | 40,000 | 40,000 | |
| Midnight Sun Tours, Inc. | Lake Worth, FLA | 36,000 | 36,000 | |
| Royal Tours | Asheboro, NC | 45,360 | 45,360 | |
| Southern Coach Company | Durham, NC | 26,100 | 26,100 | |
| Region V | ||||
| Badger Coaches, Inc. | Madison, WI | 117,495 | 117,495 | |
| Coach USA Indiana | Gary, IN | 36,504 | 36,504 | |
| Excellent Adventures, Inc. | Ft. Wayne, IN | 24,500 | 24,500 | |
| Indian Trails, Inc. | Owosso, MI | 19,210 | 19,210 | |
| Lakefront Lines Inc. | Brook Park, OH | 100,800 | 100,800 | |
| Lamers Bus Lines Inc. | Green Bay, WI | 62,175 | 62,175 | |
| Philipps Bus Service, Inc. | Winona, MN | 28,746 | 28,746 | |
| Pioneer Coach Lines, Inc. | Chicago, Il | 26,854 | 26,854 | |
| Ready Bus Line | La Crescent, MN | 30,275 | 30,275 | |
| River Trails Transit Lines, Inc. | Galena, IL | 27,644 | 27,644 | |
| Southeastern Trailways | Indianapolis, IN | 43,897 | 43,897 | |
| Southwest Coaches, Inc. | Marshall, MN | 43,734 | 43,734 | |
| Southwestern Illinois Bus Co. | Chester, IL | 27,000 | 27,000 | |
| St. Cloud Charter Service | St. Cloud, MN | 20,089 | 20,089 | |
| The Free Enterprise System, Inc. | Jeffersonville, IN | 25,645 | 25,645 | |
| Vandalia Bus Lines, Inc. | Caseyville, IL | 27,000 | 27,000 | |
| Van Galder Bus Company | Janesville, WI | 182,302 | 182,302 | |
| Wisconsin Coach Lines | Waukesha, WI | 40,500 | 40,500 | |
| Region VI | ||||
| All Aboard America | Santa FE, NM | 22,510 | 22,510 | |
| Americanos USA, LLC | Dallas, TX | 162,228 | 162,228 | |
| AM Tour/Lone Star Coaches | Grand Prairie, TX | 25,000 | 25,000 | |
| Cowtown Bus Charters, Inc. | Ft. Worth, TX | 62,164 | 62,164 | |
| Crucero USA, LLC | Dallas, TX | 81,114 | 81,114 | |
| El Expreso Bus Company, Inc. | Houston, TX | 98,200 | 98,200 | |
| Fun Time Tours | Corpus Christi, TX | 48,600 | 48,600 | |
| Greyhound Lines, Inc. | Dallas, TX | 2,636,205 | 2,636,205 | |
| Gulf Coast Transportation | Houston, TX | 68,310 | 68,310 | |
| Hotard Motor Coaches, Inc. | New Orleans, LA | 44,193 | 44,193 | |
| Kerrville Bus Co. | San Antonio, TX | 194,400 | 194,400 | |
| Lone Star Trailways, Inc. | Tyler, TX | 34,972 | 34,972 | |
| Oklahoma Trailways, Inc. | Tulsa, OK | 36,000 | 36,000 | |
| Sierra Stage Coaches, Inc. | S. Houston, TX | 25,200 | 25,200 | |
| Si Texas Tours | Bandera, TX | 32,400 | 32,400 | |
| TNMO | Lubbock, TX | 40,557 | 40,557 | |
| Valley Transit | Harlingen, TX | 40,557 | 40,557 | |
| Region VII | ||||
| Arrow Stage Lines | Omaha, NE | 30,000 | 30,000 | |
| Burlington Trailways | W. Burlington, IA | 86,798 | 86,798 | |
| Prestige Transportation Systems | Wichita, Kansas | 34,920 | 34,920 | |
| Village Charters, Inc. | Wichita, Kansas | 46,589 | 46,589 | |
| Region VIII | ||||
| No Awards | ||||
| Region IX | ||||
| K-T Contract Services | N. Las Vegas, NV | 71,996 | 71,996 | |
| Roberts Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | 25,200 | 25,200 | |
| Sierra Trailways of California | Sacramento, CA | 43,149 | 43,149 | |
| Silverado Stages, Inc. | San Luis Obispo, CA | 60,421 | 60,421 | |
| Triple J Tours, Inc. | Las Vegas, NV | 37,791 | 37,791 | |
| Region X | ||||
| MTR Western | Seattle, WA | 28,706 | 28,706 | |
| Northwestern Stage Lines | Spokane, WA | 33,750 | 33,750 | |
| Premier Alaska Tours, Inc. | Anchorage, AK | 25,200 | 25,200 | |
| Total | 5,208,000 | 1,686,400 | 6,894,400 |
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: October 26, 2005.
Jennifer L. Dorn,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-21722 Filed 10-31-05; 8:45 am]
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