Official Summaries

Bus Parity and Clarity Act

This bill specifies that charter bus service has the same access to tolling rates and roads as public transportation vehicles.

Current law applies the same access to tolling rates to public transportation vehicles and over-the-road buses (i.e., buses with an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment) that serve the public.

The bill specifies that the same access to rates apply to over-the-road buses in (1) scheduled service (e.g., intercity bus service), and (2) charter service. This applies to charter bus service for tolling for federal-aid highways, bridges, and tunnels; high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and facilities; and the Value Pricing Pilot Program of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Charter service includes transportation provided

• at the request of a third party for the exclusive use of a bus for a negotiated price (e.g., for a wedding or corporate event); or
• to the public for events or functions that occur on an irregular basis or for a limited duration, and a premium fare is charged or third party pays for the service (e.g., providing shuttle service for a public event).

In addition, the FHWA must annually publish on a publicly available website a unified database containing the rates, terms, and conditions of each toll facility covered under these provisions.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2526 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2526

 To amend title 23, United States Code, to clarify provisions relating 
    to equal access for over-the-road buses, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 31, 2025

Mr. Van Drew (for himself and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 23, United States Code, to clarify provisions relating 
    to equal access for over-the-road buses, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bus Parity and Clarity Act''.

SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF EQUAL ACCESS FOR OVER-THE-ROAD BUSES.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries.--Section 
        129(a) of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (9)(A) by striking ``that serves 
                the public'' and inserting ``in scheduled or charter 
                service''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (11) by adding at the end the 
                following:
                    ``(F) Charter service.--The term `charter service' 
                has the meaning given the term in part 604 of title 49, 
                Code of Federal Regulations.''.
            (2) HOV facilities.--Section 166 of title 23, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(3)(C) by striking ``serving 
                the public'' and inserting ``in scheduled or charter 
                service''; and
                    (B) in subsection (f) by adding at the end the 
                following:
            ``(7) Charter service.--The term `charter service' has the 
        meaning given the term in part 604 of title 49, Code of Federal 
        Regulations.''.
    (b) Value Pricing Pilot Program.--In carrying out a value pricing 
pilot program under section 1012(b) of the Intermodal Surface 
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 149 note), a public 
authority with jurisdiction over a toll facility shall provide to an 
over-the-road bus in scheduled or charter service access to a toll 
facility under the same rates, terms, and conditions as a public 
transportation vehicle, consistent with section 129(a)(9) of title 23, 
United States Code.
    (c) Publication.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Administrator of 
the Federal Highway Administration shall publish on a publicly 
available website a unified database containing information with 
respect to the rates, terms, and conditions of each toll facility 
covered under the equal access provisions described in sections 
129(a)(9) and 166(b)(3) of title 23, United States Code.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Charter service.--The term ``charter service'' has the 
        meaning given the term in part 604 of title 49, Code of Federal 
        Regulations.
            (2) Over-the-road bus.--The term ``over-the-road bus'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 301 of the Americans with 
        Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12181).
            (3) Public authority; toll facility.--The terms ``public 
        authority'' and ``toll facility'' have the meanings given the 
        terms in section 129(a) of title 23, United States Code.
            (4) Public transportation vehicle.--The term ``public 
        transportation vehicle'' has the meaning given the term in 
        section 166 of title 23, United States Code.
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