U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 5318. Bus testing facility

(a) Facility.— The Secretary shall maintain one facility for testing a new bus model for maintainability, reliability, safety, performance (including braking performance), structural integrity, fuel economy, emissions, and noise.

(b) Operation and Maintenance.— The Secretary shall enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with, or make a grant to, a qualified person or organization to operate and maintain the facility. The contract, cooperative agreement, or grant may provide for the testing of rail cars and other public transportation vehicles at the facility.

(c) Fees.— The person operating and maintaining the facility shall establish and collect fees for the testing of vehicles at the facility. The Secretary must approve the fees.

(d) Availability of Amounts To Pay for Testing.— The Secretary shall enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with, or make a grant to, the operator of the facility under which the Secretary shall pay 80 percent of the cost of testing a vehicle at the facility from amounts available to carry out this section. The entity having the vehicle tested shall pay 20 percent of the cost.

(e) Acquiring New Bus Models.— Amounts appropriated or made available under this chapter may be obligated or expended to acquire a new bus model only if a bus of that model has been tested at the facility maintained by the Secretary under subsection (a).

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