Rule/Notice/NOFO: Charter Service
Federal Register/Notice: federalregister.gov
Description: This final rule amends regulations governing the provision of charter service by recipients of Federal financial assistance at 49 CFR Part 604. The charter service regulation protects private charter operators from unauthorized competition from FTA grant recipients. Under the charter rules, with limited exceptions, local transit agencies are restricted from operating chartered service. One of those exceptions applies to charter service provided to a qualified human service organization (QHSO) for the purpose of serving persons with mobility limitations related to advanced age, disability, or low income. Under the current rule, QHSOs receiving funding from one of the Federal programs under Appendix A are exempt from the charter registration requirements of the regulation. This appendix, created in 2008, is outdated. Through this rulemaking, FTA removes appendix A and will keep the list of qualifying Federal programs for the QHSO exception current on its website, which will reduce the administrative burden of charter registration for many QHSOs.
APTA Staff Advisor: Taria Barron, tbarron@apta.com
