MONTGOMERY, Ala. - An egregious example of a public transit agency providing charter bus service has been stopped by Capital Trailways of Alabama.
But its victory was not complete because the event wanting service was able to get buses from a small transit agency that does not use federal tax money and a city recreational department.
At the end of October, there was a Professional Golfers Association Nationwide Tour Championship tournament conducted at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill course in Prattville, Ala.
Organizers of the tournament asked Montgomery Area Transit Authority (MATA) to provide shuttle service for the event and the agency supplied at least two buses to transport spectators.
Capital Trailways immediately blew the whistle, filing a complaint with the Federal Transit Administration regional office in Atlanta. FTA Regional Administrator Hiram J. Walker moved quickly, deciding that the service violated federal charter rules and ordering MATA to canvass all private transportation providers in the Montgomery-Prattville area to determine if there was an operator willing and able to supply the service.
If a private company was available, then MATA was directed to cease and desist provide the service, Walker told the transit agency's General Manager Rim Ornick.
Of course, there's no shortage of companies in the Montgomery area willing and able to provide the service, including Capital Trailways. There was, however, no organization willing to pay for the service. The golf tournament wanted the buses donated or some kind in-kind trade, said Shannon Rhodes, assistant to Wayne Phillips, president of Capital Trailways.
Rhodes said Capital Trailways politely informed tournament officials it was in the business of selling its services, not giving them away.
Undeterred, the tournament scrounged around and got two former school buses from the Montgomery Parks and Recreation Department and buses from Prattville Transit (Autauga County Rural Transportation), which is not federally funded.
Meanwhile, Capital Trailways is gearing up for a new set-to with MATA. The company is acquiring a trolley bus that will be available for charter by wedding parties and other groups. That will put the company in competition with MATA, which has a handful of trolley buses it charters. Capital Trailways intends to take the position that federal charter rules require MATA to refer future calls it gets for trolley charters to Capital Trailways.
"Hopefully we can resolve that issue," said Rhodes. "We want to do this as nicely as we can."