The United Motorcoach Association is enlisting Members to fight off threats to the charter service rule that prohibits public transits from offering routine charter work.
The UMA request is in response to House Resolution 3684, the Invest in America Act, which contains a provision that threatens charter service rule, which could financially hurt private-sector charter bus companies.
Congress is pushing through a surface transportation reauthorization bill. Under the leadership of your UMA Legislative & Regulatory Committee, UMA has been successful in mitigating or reducing the effects of nearly all bill language that would adversely affect the industry. The major exception has been an effort in the House to modify the charter service rule that protects private-sector charter bus companies from unfair transit competition.
“The rule was significantly revised in 2008”, said Ken Presley, Vice President, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs & Industry Relations/COO. “We worry that the revised rule has worked so well that many have become complacent and have forgotten when public transit routinely chartered transit buses, particularly special events that are a mainstay of today’s charter bus revenue.”
While some concessions have been made and House leadership is contemplating others. This week, UMA launched a campaign asking operators to contact their U.S. representatives to stop the measure considered harmful to the industry.
U.S. representatives are being asked to protect motorcoach jobs and companies by striking the language in the measure that would weaken protections for private operators in favor of transit systems.
“It took years to get a rule that worked,” said Presley. We certainly do not want to lose it.”
UMA members can use this link to send a message to their U.S. House Representative.
