78456 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2023 / Notices 

Survey responses will be summarized 

and reported using plots, tables, content 

analysis, and calculated summary 

statistics. Plots and tables will provide 

a visual comparison of multiple choice 

and checkbox survey responses for 

successful carriers (i.e., carriers in the 

RP Group) and those receiving 

interventions in the last 24 months (i.e., 

carriers in the IE Group). These methods 

will also allow researchers to 

summarize responses by carrier 

operation type (i.e., truck or bus) and 

size. Bar charts will be used to plot 

responses to many survey questions. 

Some survey responses may be 

summarized with tables with rows for 

each of the carrier operation types (truck 

or bus) and each carrier-size subgroup. 

To explore and summarize responses to 

open-ended survey questions, 

researchers will use content analysis 

methods. An illustration of an open– 

ended question in the survey is ‘‘List 

examples of critical safety-related 

maintenance activities for trailer vehicle 

milestones.’’ The goal of content 

analysis of open-ended questions will 

be to identify common answers. 

The results of this information 

collection will be documented in a 

technical report to be delivered to and 

published by FMCSA. In addition, the 

results will be used to create a 

‘‘recommended best practices’’ report 

that will outline minimum standards for 

inspection intervals, mechanic 

qualifications and training, and 

certification of maintenance facilities. 

Finally, VTTI is required under the 

contract with FMCSA to compile and 

analyze the collected information and 

develop a public-use data set. 

If this data collection does not take 

place, the truck and bus industry would 

continue to operate with the uncertainty 

of what a ‘‘systematic maintenance’’ 

program, as currently worded in 

§ 396.3(a), consists of. This term’s 

ambiguous definition makes it difficult 

for Federal and State inspectors to 

evaluate the effectiveness of a carrier’s 

maintenance program or its compliance 

with this provision. Furthermore, this 

uncertainty may make it difficult for 

carriers to ascertain and therefore 

comply with the regulation’s intent. 

The 60-day notice for this collection 

was published on August 24, 2023 (88 

FR 58057). The Agency received three 

comments. 

The first comment was anonymous 

and asserted that fraud within the 

industry affected the industry’s ability 

to perform maintenance that could 

enhance safety. Through the research 

enabled by this survey, the Agency 

seeks to assess the degree to which 

maintenance enhances safety. 

The second comment was from a 

maintenance trainer who stated that 49 

CFR 396.17 requires that periodic 

inspections beyond visual observation 

are required on an annual basis to 

certify that each vehicle passes 

maintenance requirements. The Agency 

agrees that periodic maintenance 

inspections that go beyond roadside 

visual inspections are an important part 

of a systematic maintenance program, 

and the research is taking into 

consideration the elements of periodic 

maintenance that impact carrier 

preventative maintenance programs. 

The third comment was from the 

National Waste and Recycling 

Association (NWRA). NWRA suggests 

that the survey should recruit carriers 

that operate vocational short-haul trucks 

(e.g., refuse hauler) because of the 

differences in duty cycles that affect 

maintenance. In particular, waste and 

recycling vehicles brake frequently as 

part of their duty cycle, which may have 

implications for maintenance and 

safety. The Agency agrees that a variety 

of highway and vocational truck and 

bus carriers will be recruited for the 

survey, but the recruitment and 

collection will be constrained to 

identifying carriers based on the 

recommended practices group and 

intervention effects group criteria. 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including: (1) 

whether the proposed collection is 

necessary for the performance of 

FMCSA’s functions; (2) the accuracy of 

the estimated burden; (3) ways for 

FMCSA to enhance the quality, 

usefulness, and clarity of the collected 

information; and (4) ways that the 

burden could be minimized without 

reducing the quality of the collected 

information. 

Issued under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87. 

Thomas P. Keane, 

Associate Administrator, Office of Research 

and Registration. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25196 Filed 11–14–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[FTA Docket No. FTA 2023–0026] 

Agency Information Collection Activity 

Under OMB Review: Charter Service 

Operations 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the intention of the 

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to 

request the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) to approve the extension 

of a currently approved information 

collection: Charter Service Operations. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted 

before January 16, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: To ensure that your 

comments are not entered more than 

once into the docket, submit comments 

identified by the docket number by only 

one of the following methods: 

1. Website: www.regulations.gov. 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments on the U.S. Government 

electronic docket site. (Note: The U.S. 

Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) 

electronic docket is no longer accepting 

electronic comments.) All electronic 

submissions must be made to the U.S. 

Government electronic docket site at 

www.regulations.gov. Commenters 

should follow the directions below for 

mailed and hand-delivered comments. 

2. Fax: 202–366–7951. 

3. Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Docket Operations, M–30, 

West Building, Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

4. Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Docket Operations, M–30, 

West Building, Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001 

between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

Instructions: You must include the 

agency name and docket number for this 

notice at the beginning of your 

comments. Submit two copies of your 

comments if you submit them by mail. 

For confirmation that FTA has received 

your comments, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Note that 

all comments received, including any 

personal information, will be posted 

and will be available to internet users, 

without change, to www.regulations.gov. 

You may review DOT’s complete 

Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 

Register published April 11, 2000, (65 

FR 19477), or you may visit 

www.regulations.gov. Docket: For access 

to the docket to read background 

documents and comments received, go 

to www.regulations.gov at any time. 

Background documents and comments 

received may also be viewed at the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building, 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001 between 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2023 / Notices 78457 

9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Micah Miller at (404) 865–5474, or 

email: Micah.Miller@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested 

parties are invited to send comments 

regarding any aspect of this information 

collection, including: (1) the necessity 

and utility of the information collection 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the FTA; (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. Comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be summarized and/or included in the 

request for OMB approval of this 

information collection. 

Title: Charter Service Operations. 

OMB Number: 2132–0543. 

Background: FTA’s Charter Service 

Regulations protects private charter 

operators from unauthorized 

competition from FTA grant recipients. 

In essence, the charter regulations were 

implemented to ensure that transit 

agencies, subsidized with federal 

money, do not unfairly compete with 

privately owned bus companies. Under 

the charter rules, with limited 

exceptions, local transit agencies are 

restricted from operating chartered 

services. 

Charter service means, but does not 

include demand response service to 

individuals: 

• Transportation provided by a 

recipient at the request of a third party 

for the exclusive use of a bus or van for 

a negotiated price. The following 

features may be characteristic of charter 

service: 

Æ A third party pays the transit 

provider a negotiated price for the 

group, 

Æ Any fares charged to individual 

members of the group are collected by 

a third party, 

Æ The service is not part of the transit 

provider’s regularly scheduled service, 

or is offered for a limited period of time, 

or 

Æ A third party determines the origin 

and destination of the trip as well as 

scheduling; or 

• Transportation provided by a 

recipient to the public for events or 

functions that occur on an irregular 

basis or for a limited duration and: 

Æ A premium fare is charged that is 

greater than the usual or customary 

fixed route fare; or 

Æ The service is paid for in whole or 

in part by a third party. 

There are limited exceptions when a 

grantee may provide charter service, 

including: 

• Official government business, 

• Qualified Human Service 

Organizations (elderly, persons with 

disabilities, and low-income 

individuals), 

• When no registered charter provider 

responds to a notice sent by a recipient, 

• Leasing (must exhaust all available 

vehicles first), 

• By agreement with all registered 

charter providers, 

• Petitions to the Administrator: 

Events of regional or national 

significance, or hardship. 

Respondents: Transit Agencies and 

Private Operators. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 1,810 

respondents. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 359 

hours. 

Frequency: Annually, bi-annually, 

quarterly, and as required. 

Nadine Pembleton, 

Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25184 Filed 11–14–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Fiscal Year 2024 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Innovative Coordinated 

Access and Mobility (ICAM) Pilot 

Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity 

(NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to apply for $4.7 million in 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 funding under the 

Innovative Coordinated Access and 

Mobility (ICAM) pilot program. This 

funding opportunity seeks to improve 

coordination to enhance access and 

mobility to vital community services for 

older adults, people with disabilities, 

and people of low income. As required 

by Federal public transportation law, 

funds will be awarded competitively as 

grants to finance innovative mobility 

management capital projects that will 

improve the coordination of 

transportation services and NonEmergency Medical Transportation 

(NEMT) services. An additional $4.8 

million is authorized for FY 2024 and 

FTA may award additional funding that 

is made available to the program prior 

to the announcement of project 

selections. 

DATES: Applicants must submit 

completed proposals for each funding 

opportunity through the GRANTS.GOV 

‘‘APPLY’’ function by 11:59 p.m. 

Eastern Time February 13, 2024. 

Prospective applicants should register 

as soon as possible on the 

GRANTS.GOV website to ensure they 

can complete the application process 

before the submission deadline. 

ADDRESSES: Application instructions are 

available on FTA’s website at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/ 

grant-programs/access-and-mobilitypartnership-grants and in the ‘‘FIND’’ 

module of GRANTS.GOV. The 

GRANTS.GOV funding opportunity ID 

for the ICAM is FTA–2024–006–TPM– 

ICAM. Mail and fax submissions will 

not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Destiny Buchanan, FTA Office of 

Program Management; Phone: (202) 

493–8018; Email: Destiny.Buchanan@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

C. Eligibility Information 

D. Application and Submission Information 

E. Application Review Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact 

H. Other Information 

A. Program Description 

Section 3006(b) of the Fixing 

America’s Surface Transportation 

(FAST) Act (Pub. L. 114–94) authorizes 

FTA to award grants for ICAM pilot 

projects that improve the coordination 

of transportation services and NEMT 

services for transportation 

disadvantaged populations. The 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

(the ‘‘Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’’ or 

‘‘BIL’’) (Pub. L. 117–58) authorized 

funding for FY 2022 through FY 2026. 

Transportation disadvantaged 

populations include older adults, 

people with disabilities, and people of 

low income. 

In the FY 2024 program, FTA intends 

to target funding for regional and 

statewide mobility management capital 

projects that support coordination and 

enable comprehensive community 

access, including access to NEMT, for 

underserved groups. In accordance with 

Performance Measure 3.1.9 in the 

Coordinating Council on Access and 

Mobility (CCAM)’s 2023–2026 Strategic 

Plan (https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1