Article 5. Transit Facilities And Service of California Public Utilities Code >> Division 10. >> Part 14. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 5.

The district may provide transit service for the transportation of passengers and their incidental baggage by any means, both within and outside the district.

(a) The district may engage in the business of providing charter bus service, sightseeing service, special school service, and other service, including any other service as may be provided by its predecessor, the Sacramento Transit Authority.
  (b) No bus equipment which is designed solely for charter service shall be purchased. No intercity model bus shall be operated in charter service; however, nothing in this section shall limit the features and equipment on, or the use of, transit and suburban model buses.
  (c) The board shall hold a public hearing prior to adopting a charter rate schedule or any amendment thereof. Notice of the hearing shall be mailed at least 30 days in advance to each charter-party carrier maintaining an office or equipment point within the district, and to each charter-party carrier or representative thereof who has requested, in writing, to be notified of such hearings. A notice shall include the proposed charter rate schedule. At the close of the public hearing, the board may adopt charter rate schedules which shall not be less than the lowest of the three largest private charter-party carriers operating similar service in the district. For any charter service between points within the district, the district may establish a lower minimum charge. The designation "three largest private charter-party carriers" refers to the three carriers with the highest gross revenue generated from charter service originating within the district.
  (d) A charter trip shall have its origin within the district, and the return trip shall have its destination within the district, unless the district is requested by a private charter-party carrier to provide a trip not having origin and return destination within the district.

The board may contract with any public agency or person to provide transit facilities and services for the district.

The district may construct and operate or acquire and operate transit works and facilities in, under, upon, over, across, or along any state or public highway or any stream, bay or water course, or over any of the lands which are the property of the state, to the same extent that such rights and privileges appertaining thereto are granted to municipalities within the state.

(a) The district may enter into agreements for the joint use of any property and rights by the district and any public agency or public utility operating transit facilities; may enter into agreements with any public agency or public utility operating any transit facilities, and wholly or partially within or without the district, for the joint use of any property of the district or of the public agency or public utility, or the establishment of through routes, joint fares, transfer of passengers or pooling arrangements.
  (b) In addition to any power described in subdivision (a), the district may enter into agreements for the joint use or joint development of any property or rights by the district and any public agency, or public utility operating transit facilities or nontransit facilities, or both, or any other person, firm, corporation, association, organization, or other entity, public or private, either, in whole or in part, within or outside the district, for the joint use or development of any nontransit facilities of the district or of the public agency, public utility, person, firm, corporation, association, organization, or other entity, public or private, for the establishment of through routes, joint fares, transfer of passengers, pooling arrangements, station cost-sharing, connector fees, or land, air, or development rights, sales or leasing, necessary for, incidental to, or convenient for, the full exercise of the powers granted in this chapter. For the purpose of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (1) "Joint development" includes, but is not limited to, agreements with any person, firm, corporation, association, organization, or other entity, public or private, to develop or to engage in the planning, financing, construction, or operation of nontransit district facilities or development projects adjacent, or physically or functionally related, to district transit facilities.
  (2) "Development project" includes, but is not limited to, projects for any use or mixed use including public, commercial, or residential uses.
  (3) "Nontransit facilities," includes, but is not limited to, any land, buildings, or equipment, or interest therein, that is used for the production of transit revenue not arising from the operation of a transit system.
  (c) Construction projects or works of improvement for facilities authorized by the district under the terms of a joint development agreement that is approved under the authority conferred by this section shall be considered a public works project subject to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1720) of Part 7 of Division 2 of the Labor Code and shall be enforced by the Department of Industrial Relations in the same manner in which it carries out this responsibility under the Labor Code.

The rates and charges, if any, for transit service furnished pursuant to this part shall be fixed by the board and shall be reasonable.

The district shall be subject to the provisions of Division 14.8 (commencing with Section 34500) of the Vehicle Code with respect to operation of buses and to the rules and regulations enforceable by the Department of the California Highway Patrol pursuant to that chapter regulating the safe operation of buses.

The district and any one or more school districts may enter into agreements pursuant to which school transportation equipment may be used by the district.

(a) The district may acquire, construct, own, operate, control, or use rights-of-way, rail lines, buslines, stations, platforms, switches, yards, terminals, parking lots, and any and all facilities necessary or convenient for transit service, within or partly outside the district, underground, upon, or above the ground and under, upon or over public streets or other public ways or waterways, together with all physical structures necessary or convenient for the access of persons or vehicles thereto, and may acquire any interest in or rights to use or joint use of any or all of the foregoing; however, installations in state freeways are subject to the approval of the Department of Transportation, and installations in other state highways are subject to Article 2 (commencing with Section 670) of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code. Installations in county highways and city streets are subject to similar encroachment permits.
  (b) In addition to any power described in subdivision (a), the district may, to the extent that it is not expressly provided for in subdivision (a), develop, lease, jointly develop, or jointly use air rights, land rights, development rights, rights-of-way, rail trackage, entrances and exits, and any and all fixed facilities and structures physically or functionally related to transit service.
  (c) Construction projects or works of improvement for facilities authorized by the district under the terms of a joint development agreement that is approved under the authority conferred by this section shall be considered a public works project subject to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1720) of Part 7 of Division 2 of the Labor Code and shall be enforced by the Department of Industrial Relations in the same manner in which it carries out this responsibility under the Labor Code.

The district may lease or contract for the use of its transit facilities, or any portion thereof, to any operator, and may provide for subleases by such operator upon such terms and conditions as it deems in the public interest. The word "operator" as used in this section means any public agency or any person.