PIERRE, S.D. The operators of a small bus service here have sent an emotional appeal to the chief counsel of the Federal Transit Administration, asking him to look into their complaints of charter service violations by the local public transit agency.

Charles and Dawnita Forell of Forell Limousine & Bus Service wrote to FTA Chief Counsel Severn E.S. Miller last month after falling into a bureaucrat black hole dealing with the FTA regional office in Lakewood, Colo., and its counsel, Susan Martin.

The FTA region VIII office serves Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota. In fiscal 2006, the office doled out more than $298.8 million in federal tax dollars to 58 public transit agencies.

But the office apparently has been too busy handing out money to deal with the Forells complaints of charter service violations, some of which have been pending since Sept. 2005.

In a letter to Martin in February, the Forells recounted eight different types of on-going charter violations by River Cities Transit of Pierre. Dozens of examples of the violations were detailed in the letter. (See March 15 issue of Bus & Motorcoach News.)

Repeatedly, according to the Forells, River Cities Transit has failed to solicit for willing-and-able private operators to provide a wide variety of charter services

After looking into the Forells complaints, Ken Presley, vice president of industry relations at the United Motorcoach Association, said it appeared to him that Martin was placing "the entire burden of oversight (of River Cities Transit) on Ms. Forell."

As Bus & Motorcoach News noted in its March article, the real reason the FTA may be reluctant to investigate River Cities Transit and its executive director, Ron Baumgart, is because Baumgart was a member of the Charter Bus Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee that attempted to rewrite the federal charter service rules last year.

And, Baumgart and his agency were honored by the FTA and the Community Transit Association of America as an outstanding rural transit manager and system. River Cities Transit received the 2006 FTA Administrator's Award for Outstanding Public Service in Rural Transportation.

In May of last year, after sitting on the Forells file for months and doing nothing, Martin informed the couple she had referred all of the complaints to the FTA chief counsels office in Washington "for disposition."

Meanwhile, says Mrs. Forell, River Cities Transit continues its "reckless disregard for FTA charter service rules at tremendous cost to the private sector."

In her letter to FTA chief counsel Miller, the Forells enclosed a new list of charter service violations by River Cities Transit.

"Forell Limousine & Bus Service has a 20-year business history in this community and we are watching it slowly erode as River Cities Transit continues (its) practice of disregarding the FTA charter service rules," said Mrs. Forell.

"It is apparent at this point the management of River Cities Transit has absolutely no fear of consequences. Inasmuch as the Federal Transit Administration to date has failed to bring an end to these flagrant violations, perhaps FTA Administrator (James) Simpson can address our employees as they lose their jobs," she added.