WASHINGTON Six trade associations representing private bus operators have sent a letter to the general manager of the District of Columbia public transit agency, commending him for saying his agency will no longer provide charter bus service.

The associations, which call themselves the Coalition of Private Passenger Transportation Organizations, sent the letter after Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager John Catoe told his board that the new federal charter bus rule "quite effectively takes Metro out of the business of providing charter bus service."

Catoes remark was quoted in an article in the Washington Post.

In its letter, the coalition reminded Catoe that federal regulations have always prohibited Washington Metro from providing charter bus service but the new rule represented "greater clarity, transparency, accountability, consistency and fairness on an issue that has been fraught with confusion, secrecy and inconsistency for decades." The new rule went into effect April 30.

Metro was among scores of transit agencies across the U.S. that for years routinely violated the old regulations with impunity because the Federal Transit Administration failed to enforce its rules.

In his remarks to his board, Catoe admitted Washington Metro chartered close to 2,500 buses in fiscal 2007, reaping more than $1.6 million in revenue. In addition, Metro provided more than 600 hours of charter bus service to the regions schools during the year.

Some of the charter service was for Washington Redskins football games and to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, the concert venue.

All of it represented business that should have gone to private bus operators.

The coalition told Catoe that Metros former charter customers "will be well served (in the future) by the regions private operators and will not experience any lack of service availability."

The coalition is composed of the United Motorcoach Association, the National School Transportation Association, the California Bus Association, the Northwest Motorcoach Association, the International Motor Coach Group Inc., and the Trailways Transportation System.

Its members represent roughly 1,250 motorcoach and school bus companies operating more than 124,000 vehicles nationwide.