WASHINGTON The new charter service rule that requires motorcoach companies to register with the Federal Transit Administration -- to be notified of charter work being offered by public transit agencies -- is drawing a torrid response from private coach operators.

And some worries from federal regulators.

More than 800 operators or about 25 percent of the private companies licensed in the U.S. joined the electronic registry in the first few weeks of the sign-up period.

Although federal regulators are pleased with the response, they also warn there is potential for problems because many of the operators are requesting they be notified of any charter work anywhere in the United States.

"Private operators are registering for the entire U.S. without understanding the implications," said FTA spokesman Paul Griffo.

The new rule, which is part of a major overhaul of the charter rules that are to take effect April 30, drastically changes the way public transit agencies notify motorcoach operators of charters they would like to do, but which they first must offer to private carriers.

It ends the "willing-and-able" public notice procedure that transit agencies have had to follow for many years, replacing it with a Web-based registry that coach operators may join.

Under the new process, the transit agencies will be required to send an e-mail to each registered operator that has declared a willingness to work in the area where the charter is to take place.

Many of the federal officials and public and private operators who were involved in writing the new charter rules expected most operators to sign up for work within their own states and possibly in some adjacent states. A much smaller number were expected to list the entire country as the area they would be willing to serve.

However, Griffo said many more operators than were expected have signed on to be notified whenever any type of charter work comes up, no matter where it is taking place or how far away it may be from an individual operators home base.

"We have personally called more than 100 companies to discuss and assist them with changing their registration to states they originate from," he said.

Unnecessarily burdensome?

Griffo said signing up for the entire country unnecessarily increases the number of e-mails that transit agencies will have to send out each time they are interested in doing a charter that they first must offer to private carriers.

"There is a high likelihood that no one will pay the deadhead fees associated with a bus traveling from New York to provide service solely within California," he noted.

Ken Presley, vice president of the United Motorcoach Association, defended the operators who have signed up to cover the entire country, noting that many motorcoach companies routinely move equipment long distances for large events such as national conventions and major sporting events.

However, he admitted the situation could create problems the FTA may have to address. "Much of the disagreements surround large events, however, and I suspect it will ultimately be necessary for the FTA to identify nationwide registration as special event only," he said.

Griffo also pointed out a second problem that could negatively impact motorcoach operators waiting to hear about potential charters from transit agencies.

Problem No. 2

He said numerous operators have not listed a fax number for their company with the registry, a mistake that could cause them to miss notification of a potential charter job. Fax numbers are important, he emphasized, because if a transit agency gets a non-delivery notice from an e-mail it has sent to an operator, it is required to send a second notice by fax.

Operators that have registered for the new systems should go back on the Website and verify they provided a fax number.

Meanwhile, Presley is urging operators that have not yet done so to get on the charter notification list as soon as possible to be ready when the new rules take effect at the end of this month.

"It's beyond important," he said. "It is critical if private operators ever have a hope of preventing their local transits from intruding on their charter work," he stressed. "Also, if an operator is not registered, but his competitors are, then he has placed himself at a serious disadvantage as his competitors will likely have business opportunities he or she may never see."

He noted, too, that private operators may not complain about transit violations to the FTA if they are not registered.

Spreading the word

Presley said he was pleased with the number of operators that have registered so far, about 70 percent of whom are UMA members. UMA has made numerous presentations about the new charter service rules, including recent stops at the Virginia Bus Association operator's retreat in Lynchburg, Va., the annual Trailways Meeting and Conference in Los Angeles, and the South Central Motorcoach Association Operators Meeting in Houston.

"Two UMA partners, Trailways and IMG (International Motor Coach Group), have done an outstanding job in making sure their member operators are registered, too," he noted.

Presley pointed out that implementation of the rules is a result of substantial efforts by many individuals, including operators who volunteered and invested their time and money over the past six years.

"The new rules provide our industry an unprecedented opportunity to take our rightful place in our communities. With government resources rapidly diminishing, at the same time as passenger transportation opportunities, it is either the private industry stepping in to fill the needs and voids with our efficiencies or the transits will be all too happy to take the business. The stakes have never been higher," he said.

To help make the new process run smoothly, the FTA offers these suggestions to private operators:

Respond only to jobs you are truly interested in taking.

Do not send an e-mail negotiating the service with the transit agency. Instead, send the agency an e-mail saying you are interested in the business and then contact the customer directly to negotiate the terms.

If you are not interested in a job, simply delete the e-mail you received from the transit agency.

Double and triple check your information that is on the FTA Website. If you find an error, send an e-mail to .

To reach the FTA Website, go to www.fta.dot.gov and click on "Charter Registration Tool" on the right side of the page.