"Can any of the forum members tell me the law number and the approximate date that it was passed?"
A Google search on "Greyhound law Amtrak California" yielded this lengthy thing from a state site:
BILL
ANALYSIS
{u SB 804
u} Page 1
Date of Hearing: July 12, 1999
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Tom Torlakson, Chair
SB 804 (Perata) - As Amended: May 28, 1999
{u SENATE VOTE u} : 26-10
{u
SUBJECT u} : Transportation: rail feeder bus service
{u SUMMARY u} : Establishes statutory guidelines regarding the
expenditure by the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), or a
designated successor, of state funds for rail feeder bus
service. Specifically, {u this bill u} :
1)Sets forth declarations and findings regarding the promotionof intermodal transportation and coordination of interregionaltransportation.
2)Requires, to the extent permitted under federal law, Caltransto encourage the National Railroad Passenger Corporation(Amtrak) to coordinate routes, rates, and ticketing as a means to enhance intermodal transportation and thereby improve service throughout the state.
3)Specifies that Caltrans may provide funding to Amtrak for the purpose of entering into a contract with a motor carrier to provide rail feeder bus service under the following conditions:
a) The motor carrier is not a recipient of governmental assistance, as defined under federal law. The bill specifies that this restriction shall not apply in cases where a local public motor carrier proposes to serve passengers only within its service area.
B ) The service is provided only for trips where the
passengers have had prior movement by rail or will have subsequent movement by rail.
c) The bill also requires that motor carrier vehicles that are used to provide feeder service as described in ( B ) be used solely for that purpose.
d) The motor carrier is registered with the United States
{u SB 804
u} Page 2
Department of Transportation (USDOT) and operates in
compliance with federal safety regulations and provides service that is accessible to persons with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
4)Requires Caltrans to incorporate the above-specified
guidelines into agreements with motor carriers for the
provision of passenger rail feeder service. The agreements shall also specify that a breach of those conditions shall be grounds for termination of the agreements.
{u EXISTING LAW:
u} 1)Authorizes Caltrans to enter into contracts with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to provide commuter and intercity passenger rail services. The contracts may include, but are not limited to, the extension of intericty passenger rail services or the upgrading of commuter rail services.
2)Authorizes Caltrans to enter into contracts with common
carriers, as defined, or with any other entity, for the
provision of feeder bus services to and from rail passenger terminals or intercity bus transportation.
{u FISCAL EFFECT u} : Unknown
{u COMMENTS u} : Under current law, Caltrans contracts with Amtrak and its subcontractors to provide bus service to and from rail stations for rail passengers with Amtrak tickets. This service is generally "closed door" service, restricting bus riders to those with Amtrak tickets and excluding those who only want to
ride the bus. This restriction is intended to protect Greyhound and other "for-profit" intercity bus operators from competition by the publicly-subsidized rail feeder bus operators.
According to the sponsors, in many cases, they can provide the same service as part of their regularly-scheduled service without public subsidies. The objective of this bill is to encourage Caltrans to utilize already available service.
According to the author, Caltrans subsidizes the operation of intercity passenger rail service in California, including the operation of feeder bus service to and along those rail lines.
The state's share for intercity rail operation costs, including feeder bus service, have increased at a rate of approximately 30
{u SB 804
u} Page 3
percent a year -- from $29 million in fiscal year 1994-95 to $63 million in fiscal year 1998-99.
Greyhound Lines, the sponsor of this measure, contends there have been instances, for example, where government-subsidized intercity feeder bus operators have solicited passengers in the Greyhound station facilities, offering to carry the passengers for less than the Greyhound ticket price. The sponsor indicates the purpose of this bill to eliminate such unfair competition.
The bill requires Caltrans to incorporate the specified
conditions into state-supported passenger rail feeder bus
service agreements between Amtrak and motor carriers of
passengers. The bus service agreements shall also provide that a breach of those conditions shall be grounds for termination of the agreements.
Caltrans currently maintains contracts for 17 intercity bus feeder routes that operate as an integral part of the intercity passenger rail service. This bus feeder service for rail passengers, provided on a contractual basis with Amtrak and its subcontractors and known as the Amtrak California Thruway Bus network, provides rail passengers with an assured connection to and from the train, with combined bus-train tickets and guaranteed seating on the bus.
{u Author's Amendments u} : The author has indicated that he intends to offer amendments that would address concerns raised by Amtrak and others regarding provisions in the bill that would restrict the ability of Caltrans to contract with Amtrak for bus service.
The amendments would:
1)Exempt federally-authorized programs that provide intercity bus service in rural areas of the state from the provisions in the bill (as described in Item #3(a) of the Summary section of this analysis) that prohibit motor carriers that receive governmental assistance from competing for rail feeder bus service.
2)Add clarifying language to provisions in the bill (described in Item #3( B ) of the Summary section of this analysis) that requires rail feeder bus service to be provided for trips that begin or end with movement by rail. The amendments would specify that passengers should be holding tickets that authorize roundtrip or one-way trips by rail/bus combination.
{u SB 804
u} Page 4
3)Add language to the bill that would specify that Caltrans is authorized to provide funding to Amtrak to contract with motor carriers to transport its passengers on buses provided that the vehicles are operated as part of a regularly scheduled, daily bus service that has been operating consecutively without an Amtrak contract for 12 months immediately prior to the contract agreement.
{u REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION u} :
{u Support u}
Greyhound Lines Incorporated (sponsor)
Amalgamated Transit Union
California Conference Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union
{u
Opposition u}
California Bus Association
Planning and Conservation League
Rail Passenger Association of California
Southern California Transit Advocates
Train Rider's Association of California
{uAnalysis Prepared by u} : Andrew Antwih / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
