The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public on the Draft Final Report for the South Carolina Statewide Intercity and Regional Bus Network Plan (January 2012).
Title 49 U.S.C. 5311(f) requires each state to spend 15 percent of its annual Section 5311 apportionment to carry out a program to develop and support intercity bus services, unless the state’s Governor certifies that the intercity bus needs are adequately met. This requirement, codified as Section 5311(f), calls for this determination to include consultation with the state’s intercity bus carriers. Historically, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has not expended the full 15 percent and has routinely relied on the Governor’s Certification to assure the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that the State’s intercity bus needs are adequately met.
The SCDOT commissioned this study, the Statewide Intercity and Regional Bus Network Plan, to assess whether intercity bus needs are being met in the State of South Carolina, and if not, to develop a financially sustainable network of intercity and regional bus service across the state utilizing the Section 5311(f) funds. A Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of statewide stakeholders, including intercity bus industry representatives, assisted the consultant team in its efforts.
The study substantiates that although the State is reasonably well served by the intercity bus industry, there are additional intercity bus-related needs that should preclude SCDOT from submitting the 5311(f) Governor’s Certification that attests that intercity bus needs are met. The report concludes with an implementation plan, including a summary of findings and recommendations that were determined over the course of the study.
Comments will be accepted until Febuary 9, 2012.
For more information or to submit comments, please click here.
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