3530 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 14 / Friday, January 21, 2000 / Notices

1Stagecoach controls Coach through various

subsidiaries, namely, SUS 1 Limited, SUS 2

Limited, Stagecoach General Partnership, and SCH

US Holdings Corp.

2See Stagecoach Holdings PLC—Control—Coach

USA, Inc., et al., STB Docket No. MC–F–20948 (STB

served July 22, 1999).

3See Coach USA, Inc. and Coach USA North

Central, Inc.—Control—Nine Motor Carriers of

Passengers, STB Docket No. MC–F–20931, et al.

(STB served July 14, 1999).

4ACL is a Georgia corporation. It holds federallyissued operating authority in Docket No. MC–

141589, authorizing it to provide charter and

special services between points in the United

States, as well as various regular route services

between the Atlanta area and points in Georgia,

North Carolina and Alabama. ACL operates a fleet

of approximately 70 buses and employs

approximately 120 persons. Its revenues for the 12-

month period ending September 30, 1999, were

approximately $8.8 million.

functions. Its primary function is to

distribute the weight of two trailer ends

to the lower frame via the suspension

system. The second function of the

upper frame is to lift the trailer to

operating height. This is accomplished

in two steps. First, the upper frame is

shaped like a ramp. When a trailer is

backed up the ramp it is raised high

enough for the rubber tires to clear the

ground. This removes the friction

between the rubber tires and the ground,

allowing the air springs, which raises

the trailer further.

There is a parallel arrangement for air

springs and coil springs. When the bogie

is in the lowered position, with the air

bags deflated, the coil springs fit inside

the upper frame. When the bogie is in

the ‘‘run’’ position, with air bags

inflated, a plate is rotated into position

covering the coil springs hole in the

upper frame. At this point, if the air

springs inadvertently deflated, the

upper frame rests on the coil springs.

The 6X11 roller bearings are rated for

a total bogie weight-on-rail of 110,000

pounds (70-ton railcar).

The petitioner states that the

RailRunner System passed all Chapter

XI tests at the Transportation

Technology Center Inc., (TTCI).

Interested parties are invited to

participate in these proceedings by

submitting written views, data, or

comments. FRA does not anticipate

scheduling a public hearing in

connection with these proceedings since

the facts do not appear to warrant a

hearing. If any interested party desires

an opportunity for oral comment, they

should notify FRA, in writing, before

the end of the comment period and

specify the basis for their request.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver

Petition Docket Number 1999–6416) and

must be submitted to the Docket Clerk,

DOT Docket Management Facility,

Room PL–401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590.

Communications received within 45

days of the date will be considered as

far as practicable. All written

communications concerning these

proceedings are available for

examination during regular business

hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the above

facility. All document in the public

docket are also available for inspection

and copying on the Internet at the

docket facility’s web site http://

dms.dot.gov.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on January

18, 2000.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Standards and Program Development.

[FR Doc. 00–1498 Filed 1–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. MC–F–20960]

Stagecoach Holdings PLC and Coach

USA, Inc., et al.,— Control— American

Coach Lines, Inc.

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice Tentatively Approving

Finance Transaction.

SUMMARY: Stagecoach Holdings PLC

(Stagecoach) and its subsidiary, Coach

USA, Inc. (Coach), noncarriers, and

various subsidiaries of each

(collectively, applicants), filed an

application under 49 U.S.C. 14303 to

acquire control of American Coach

Lines, Inc. (ACL), a motor passenger

carrier. Persons wishing to oppose this

application must follow the rules under

49 CFR part 1182.5 and 1182.8. The

Board has tentatively approved the

transaction, and, if no opposing

comments are timely filed, this notice

will be the final Board action.

DATES: Comments must be filed by

March 6, 2000. Applicants may file a

reply by March 21, 2000. If no

comments are filed by March 6, 2000,

this notice is effective on that date.

ADDRESSES: Send an original and 10

copies of any comments referring to STB

Docket No. MC–F–20960 to: Surface

Transportation Board, Office of the

Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, send one copy of any

comments to applicant’s representative:

Betty Jo Christian, Steptoe & Johnson

LLP, 1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20036.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joseph H. Dettmar (202) 565–1600. [TDD

for the hearing impaired: 1–800–877–

8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Stagecoach is a public limited

corporation organized under the laws of

Scotland. With operations in eight

countries, Stagecoach is one of the

world’s largest providers of passenger

transportation services. Stagecoach had

annual revenues for the fiscal year

ending April 30, 1999, of $2.475 billion.

Coach is a Delaware corporation that

currently controls 83 motor passenger

carriers.

Stagecoach and its subsidiaries

currently control Coach 1, its noncarrier

regional management subsidiaries, and

the motor passenger carriers jointly

controlled by Coach and the

management subsidiaries.2 In previous

Board decisions, Coach management

subsidiaries, including Coach USA

Southeast, Inc., have obtained authority

to control motor passenger carriers

jointly with Coach.3

Applicants state that Coach purchased

all of the outstanding stock of ACL in

November 1999 and simultaneously

placed that stock into an independent

voting trust.4

According to applicants, the

transaction did not involve any transfer

of the federal or state operating

authorities held by ACL and will not

entail any change in that carrier’s

operations.

Applicants have submitted

information, as required by 49 CFR

1182.2(a)(7), to demonstrate that the

proposed acquisition of control is

consistent with the public interest

under 49 U.S.C. 14303(b) Applicants

state that the proposed transaction will

not reduce competitive options,

adversely impact fixed charges, or

adversely impact the interests of the

employees of ACL. In addition,

applicants have submitted all of the

other statements and certifications

required by 49 CFR 1182.2. Additional

information, including a copy of the

application, may be obtained from the

applicants’ representative.

Under 49 U.S.C. 14303(b), we must

approve and authorize a transaction we

find consistent with the public interest,

taking into consideration at least: (1) the

effect of the transaction on the adequacy

of transportation to the public; (2) the

total fixed charges that result; and (3)

the interest of affected carrier

employees.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 14 / Friday, January 21, 2000 / Notices 3531

On the basis of the application, we

find that the proposed acquisition of

control is consistent with the public

interest and should be authorized. If any

opposing comments are timely filed,

this finding will be deemed vacated

and, unless a final decision can be made

on the record as developed, a

procedural schedule will be adopted to

reconsider the application. See 49 CFR

1182.6(c). If no opposing comments are

filed by the expiration of the comment

period, this decision will take effect

automatically and will be the final

Board action.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at

WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’

This decision will not significantly

affect either the quality of the human

environment or the conservation of

energy resources.

It is ordered:

1. The proposed acquisition of control

is approved and authorized, subject to

the filing of opposing comments.

2. If timely opposing comments are

filed, the findings made in this decision

will be deemed as having been vacated.

3. This decision will be effective on

March 6, 2000, unless timely opposing

comments are filed.

4. A copy of this notice will be served

on: (1) the U.S. Department of

Transportation, Office of Motor Carrier

Safety ‘‘ HMCE–20, 400 Virginia

Avenue, SW, Suite 600, Washington, DC

20024; (2) the U.S. Department of

Justice, Antitrust Division, 10th Street &

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20530; and (3) the U.S. Department

of Transportation, Office of the General

Counsel, 400 7th Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20590.

Decided: January 14, 2000.

By the Board, Chairman Morgan, Vice

Chairman Burkes and Commissioner

Clyburn.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–1585 Filed 1–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

[Docket No. BTS–99–6368]

OMB Review of Agency Information

Collection Activity; Motor Carrier

Report Form MP–1

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation

Statistics, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces that the Bureau of

Transportation Statistics (BTS) has

submitted the following data collection

to the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for review and approval: Motor

Carrier Quarterly and Annual Report

Form MP–1. This report form provides

financial and operation data about large

motor carriers of passengers. BTS

published a Federal Register notice

asking for public comment on this data

collection October 19, 1999 (64 FR

56385). BTS received one comment in

response to that notice.

DATES: You must submit comments by

February 22, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send comments to

both (1) the Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), OMB, 725

17th Street, NW., Washington, DC

20503, attention: DOT Desk Officer; and

(2) the Docket Clerk, Docket No. BTS–

99–6368, Department of Transportation,

400 Seventh Street, SW., Room PL–401,

Washington, DC 20590. Comments must

include the OMB control number, 2139–

0003.

You only need to submit one copy. If

you would like the Department to

acknowledge receipt of the comments,

you must include a self-addressed

stamped postcard with the following

statement: Comments on Docket BTS–

99–6368. The Docket Clerk will date

stamp the postcard and mail it back to

you.

If you wish to file comments using the

Internet, you may use the U.S. DOT

Dockets Management System website at

http://dms.dot.gov. Please follow the

instructions online for more

information. This website can also be

used to read comments received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Mednick, K–2, Bureau of

Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590;

(202) 366–8871; fax: (202) 366–3640; email: david.mednick@bts.gov. Please

refer to OMB Control No. 2139–0003 in

any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Title: Motor Carrier Quarterly and

Annual Report, Motor Carriers of

Passengers.

OMB Control No.: 2139–0003.

Form No.: BTS Form MP–1.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Respondents: Class I Motor Carriers of

Passengers.

Number of Respondents:

Approximately 26.

Estimated Time Per Response: 90

minutes.

Total Annual Burden: 195 hours.

Needs and Uses: Under section 103 of

the ICC Termination Act of 1995, Pub.

L. 104–88, 109 Stat. 803 (1995) (codified

at 49 U.S.C. 14123), the Department of

Transportation (DOT) is required to

collect annual financial and safety

reports from Class I and Class II motor

carriers. DOT may also require motor

carriers to file quarterly and special

reports. In determining the matters to be

covered by the reports, DOT must

consider (1) safety needs; (2) the need to

preserve confidential business

information and trade secrets and

prevent competitive harm; (3) private

sector, academic, and public use of

information in the reports; and (4) the

public interest. DOT must also

streamline and simplify the reporting

requirements to the maximum extent

practicable. DOT has delegated

authority for this program to the

Director of BTS.

Under this statutory mandate, BTS

has been collecting data on motor

carriers of passengers using Form MP–

1. This provides quarterly and annual

data on number of passengers, operating

revenue and expenses, net income, and

assets and liabilities. BTS uses it to

provide periodic information on the

health of the motor carrier of passengers

industry, its impact on the economy,

and the economy’s impact on the

industry. The report form accomplishes

this with minimal data items to be

completed quarterly. Please note that

under the statute BTS also collects data

on motor carriers of property, using

report Forms M and QFR, but these

forms are not part of this renewal notice

and request for comments.

Request for Comments

BTS requests comments regarding any

aspect of this information collection,

including, but not limited to: (1) the

necessity and utility of the information

collection for the proper performance of

the functions of the Bureau of

Transportation Statistics; (2) the

accuracy of the estimated burden; (3)

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the collected information; and

(4) ways to minimize the collection

burden without reducing the quality of

the collected information, including the

use of automated collection techniques

or other forms of information

technology.

Rolf R. Schmitt,

Associate Director.

[FR Doc. 00–1469 Filed 1–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–FE–P