Intercity passenger rail services: motor carrier transportation of passengers.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to provide funding to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to enter into contracts with motor carriers of passengers for the intercity transportation of passengers by motor carrier over regular routes if certain conditions are met. Existing law also authorizes the department to provide funding to Amtrak to contract for rail feeder bus services operated in conjunction with the intercity trains, but subject to the restriction, among others, that the bus services be used only by passengers who are connecting to or from a train, subject to specified exceptions, including exceptions for passengers on certain routes where no private intercity bus company provides scheduled bus services. This bill would instead authorize the department to provide funding to certain joint powers authorities responsible for the administration of intercity passenger rail services for the purpose of entering into a contract with Amtrak or a public or private motor carrier of passengers for the intercity transportation of passengers by motor carrier over regular routes connecting to intercity rail service, as specified. The bill would authorize motor carrier connections funded pursuant to these provisions to transport passengers who are not connecting to a passenger rail service. The bill would require a joint powers authority that contracts for service pursuant to this authorization, in consultation with the department, to submit a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2023, relating to that service. The bill would authorize state agencies and departments, public and private transit operators, intercity motor carriers of passengers, Amtrak, and those joint powers authorities to enter into revenue sharing and ticket selling agreements with each other to provide for intercity transportation of passengers and connections at rail stations to and from local transit systems and intermodal and intercity motor carrier terminals.