40-1152. Public transportation services; contracts and agreements; fares and service charges; educational institutions; financial grants

A. In addition to other authority granted pursuant to titles 9 and 11 and this title, or city charter, any county or incorporated city or town may provide public transportation services directly or by contract with a private party, motor carrier or public service corporation, within or without the corporate limits, within or without the county boundaries or to any portion as determined by the board of supervisors or the mayor and council, and may expend public funds for such purposes. Counties, cities and towns and contractors furnishing public transportation services solely at the direction of and in accordance with a system adopted by the governing body of such county, city or town are not subject to the provisions of title 28, chapter 9, article 2 and chapter 16, article 4.

B. Any county, city or town may, by resolution, provide for a system of fares or service charges to defray all or part of the costs of providing public transportation services.

C. Any county, city or town may enter into contracts or agreements pursuant to title 11, chapter 7, article 3 to provide public transportation services on a cooperative or contract basis with one another or may jointly form a nonprofit corporation to carry out public transportation services in their behalf directly or by contract with a private party, motor carrier or public service corporation.

D. In addition to other provisions of law, school districts, universities or colleges may enter into contracts or agreements with cities, towns, counties, any combination thereof, or a nonprofit corporation created by such units of government to provide public transportation services directly or by contract with a private party, motor carrier or public service corporation. Such agreements may include provisions for the sale of school buses to such entities for the purpose of providing joint school and public transportation and for reasonable charges for transportation of the general public by school districts, universities or colleges provided adequate liability insurance has been obtained.

E. Any county, city or town or a nonprofit corporation created by such units of government may accept grants, contributions or loans from this state or the United States, or any instrumentality thereof, for the purpose of financing the acquisition, construction, improvement, operation and maintenance of a public transportation service system directly or by contract with a private party, motor carrier or public service corporation.

F. Nothing contained in this article shall permit or be construed to permit a regional council of governments or a regional planning agency created pursuant to a joint exercise of powers agreement or pursuant to nonprofit corporation statutes to provide public transportation services nor to operate such services contrary to the provisions of section 9-519.