SB2178 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 18710 RCE 44812 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
SB2178

Introduced 2/14/2008, by Sen. Michael W. Frerichs

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 2705/2705-355 new

Amends the Department of Transportation Law. Authorizes the Department to enter into contracts to provide feeder services to and from rail terminals and intercity bus transportation and to provide service between non-urbanized communities and air terminals. Authorizes funding to Amtrak for contracted intercity transportation when combined with movement by rail.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning transportation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2705-355 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2705/2705-355 new)

Sec. 2705-355. Inter-modal transportation.

(a) The Department may enter into contracts with any common carrier or with any corporation, partnership, or person to provide feeder services to and from rail passenger terminals or intercity bus transportation. In contracting for intercity bus transportation, the Department may fund fixed route, scheduled services that primarily provide service between non-urbanized communities and passenger air terminals with volumes of 1,000,000 passengers or less. The Department may construct, acquire or lease, improve, and operate bus passenger terminals and related facilities that provide inter-modal passenger services.

(b) To the extent permitted by federal law, the Department shall encourage Amtrak and motor carriers of passengers to do both of the following:

(1) Combine or package their respective services and facilities to the public as a means of improving services to the public.

(2) Coordinate schedules, routes, rates, reservations, and ticketing to provide for enhanced inter-modal surface transportation.

(c) Except as authorized under subsection (f), the Department may provide funding to Amtrak for the purpose of entering into a contract with a motor carrier of passengers for the intercity transportation of passengers by motor carrier over regular routes only if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The motor carrier is not a public recipient of governmental assistance, as defined in Section 13902(b)(8)(A) of Title 49 of the United States Code, other than a recipient of funds under Section 5311(f) of that title and code. This item (1) does not apply if a local public motor carrier proposes to serve passengers only within its service area.

(2) Service is provided only on schedules and routes that are coordinated with scheduled intercity rail service to facilitate mixed-mode feeder bus service.

(3) The motor carrier is registered with the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), operates in compliance with the federal motor carrier safety regulations, and provides service that is accessible to persons with disabilities in compliance with applicable DOT regulations pertaining to Amtrak services, in accordance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

(4) The bus service provider and Amtrak issue joint tickets and publish each other's Illinois schedules on their respective websites and timetables and otherwise integrate their operations and schedules to provide a seamless transfer between modes for passengers.

(d) The Department shall incorporate the conditions specified in subsection (c) into state-supported passenger rail feeder bus service agreements between Amtrak and motor carriers of passengers. The bus service agreements shall also provide that a breach of those conditions shall be grounds for termination of the agreements.

(e) The farebox recovery ratio for state-supported mixed-mode feeder bus service must be at least 70% in Fiscal Year 2009, 80% in Fiscal Year 2010, 90% in Fiscal Year 2011, and 100% in Fiscal Year 2012 and thereafter.

(f) Notwithstanding subsections (c) and (d), the Department may provide funding to Amtrak for the purpose of entering into a contract with a motor carrier of passengers to transport Amtrak passengers on buses operated on a route, if the buses are operated by the motor carrier as part of a regularly scheduled, daily bus service that has been operating consecutively without an Amtrak contract for 12 months immediately prior to contracting with Amtrak.

(g) For purposes of this Section, the following terms have the following meanings:

"Amtrak" means the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.

"Common carrier" means any public or private provider of transportation, whether by land, air, or water.

"Department" means the Illinois Department of Transportation or the Department's successor with respect to providing funds to subsidize Amtrak service.

"Farebox recovery ratio" means the percentage ratio between the cost of providing intercity bus service as the denominator and the revenues collected by the sale of bus and rail tickets to passengers of mixed-mode feeder bus service as the numerator.

"Motor carrier of passengers" means a person or entity providing motor vehicle transportation of passengers for compensation.

"Mixed-mode feeder bus service" means bus service carrying both passengers connecting to or from a rail service and passengers only using the bus service.

"Non-urbanized community" means any municipality or territory that does not meet the criteria for an "urbanized area" as defined by the United States Census Bureau.