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News


program for cost-effective capital invest- ment designed to “encourage states to share bus funding resources among a partnership of recipients,” according to a U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation Federal Transit Authority statement. Te act also re-ups the Bus Discretionary


Program that allows states to seek proj- ect-specific funding through a competitive process. It provides $696 million in fiscal year 2016—a $268 million increase over fiscal year 2015—for the Bus and Bus Facilities Program to replace aging fleets and facilities and “adds a new eligibility to deploy low- or no-emission vehicles.” Te measure also creates the National Sur-


FAST Act Delivers for


Pupil Transportation Regulatory relief, study of accident claims among provisions of five-year federal transportation bill


WRITTEN BY ERIC WOOLSON T


he Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act signed into law in December covers a broad range of infrastructure


funding needs and sets policy for the auto, trucking, busing and rail industries. It also addresses the specific priorities of the pupil transportation sector, according to a range of experts.


Te act is the first fully funded, long- term surface transportation reauthorization bill in more than a decade. And it maintains a strong federal com- mitment to safety of the traveling public by: Providing five years of federal funding in order to make necessary investments in our nation’s roads, bridges and public transportation systems; ensuring that the Safe Routes to School projects remain eligible for federal funding; and increasing funding for the federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, which provides funding to states in order to enforce federal motor carrier safety regulations. “Te FAST Act also provides relief from federal regulatory burdens. Specifically, it


20 School Transportation News • MAY 2016


prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from significantly increasing minimum insurance rates for school bus operators until it completes a comprehensive study of accidents and claim histories and can prove that an increase is even necessary,” he added. Te National School Transportation Association had described the provision as


“one of its highest priorities.” Charlie Hood, executive director of the


National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, said that a school bus study to be conducted by the Government Accountability Office is the


“most obvious and immediate piece that relates directly to student transportation.” “We don’t know yet what this study will entail, but it’s sure to be of interest to stu- dent transportation professionals and others,” he added.


Large urban districts that rely on public transit systems to get students to and from school are likely to see indirect benefits as those entities receive additional funding. Te FAST Act also contains a new pilot


face Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau within the U.S. DOT to “serve as a one-stop shop for state and local govern- ments to receive federal funding, financing or technical assistance. Tis builds on the work of the department’s Build America Trans- portation Investment Center and provides additional tools to improve coordination across the department to promote innovative finance mechanisms,” the Federal Transit Authority indicated in a press release. Margo Pedroso, the deputy director for


the Safe Routes to School National Part- nership, recommended that transportation professionals study the new measure, add- ing, “While the FAST Act mostly leaves the Transportation Alternatives Program as-is, it’s still important to understand how it works and what changes were made.” Passage of the act doesn’t mean the


work is over, Pedroso believed. “It’s up to each and every Safe Routes to School advocate to monitor how your state or your metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program,” she said. And, she encouraged advocates to “keep the drum- beat going with policymakers” by sharing the Safe Routes to School story with local, county, state and federal officials. l


Te Safe Routes to School National Partnership has online resources for the FAST Act and the Transportation Alternatives Program at www.stnonline.com/go/8l.


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