SENATE, No. 2064

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MAY 15, 1997

By Senators CIESLA and KYRILLOS

An Act concerning expenditures from the revenues and other funds of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. From funds authorized by the Legislature to be appropriated from the revenues and other funds of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority for the Fiscal Year 1997 transportation capital construction program, the Commissioner of Transportation shall allocate and transfer $15,000,000 from a part or all of any item or items to a new item for the rehabilitation of certain State-owned buses, manufactured by Motor Coach Industries, which have been allocated for private carrier service use and which buses have been in operation for at least 12 years.

    2. a. The rehabilitation of buses required by section 1 of this act shall include, but not be limited to, engine and transmission replacement; passenger and driver seat replacement; either replacement or rehabilitation of existing air conditioning systems and components, or both, which are consistent with all rules and regulations issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; rehabilitation of heating components, radiator and cooling systems, and related items; and either the structural repair or replacement of bus subsection units, or both, as necessary.

    b. The rehabilitation of buses required by this act shall be completed within 12 months of the effective date of this act.

    c. The Commissioner of Transportation shall allocate funds in an equitable manner to all private carriers affected by this act to insure the effectuation of the purpose of this act.

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill directs the Commissioner of Transportation to allocate and transfer $15 million from an existing item or items in the Fiscal Year 1997 Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) capital construction program to a new item for the rehabilitation of certain State-owned but privately operated buses manufactured by Motor Coach Industries (MCI).

    The New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT) assigned the MCI buses to private carriers with the expectation that those buses would be replaced in 1995; however, NJT has extended the life of these buses beyond that date. Since there is a significant need to rehabilitate the condition of these older, heavily used buses, and with no apparent schedule for the near term replacement of these vintage buses, private carriers are not able to insure that their customers receive reliable and quality service. In contrast, NJT has used monies from the TTF to rehabilitate its MCI buses which has benefitted NJT riders.

    By directing the use of TTF money for the rehabilitation of these State-owned but privately operated buses, private carriers can improve the comfort, reliability and safety of the service it provides to its customers.

Directs DOT commissioner to allocate $15 million in Transportation Trust Fund monies to rehabilitate certain State-owned but privately operated buses.