49 U.S.C. § 5315 — Private sector participation

(a) General Purposes .— In the interest of fulfilling the general purposes of this chapter under section 5301(b), the Secretary must— (1) better coordinate public and private sector-provided public transportation services; (2) promote more effective utilization of private sector expertise, financing, and operational capacity to deliver costly and complex new fixed guideway^* capital projects; and (3) promote transparency and public understanding of public-private partnerships affecting public transportation. (b) Actions to Promote Better Coordination Between Public and Private Sector Providers of Public Transportation .— The Secretary must— (1) provide technical assistance to recipients of Federal transit grant assistance, at the request of a recipient, on practices and methods to best utilize private providers of public transportation; and (2) educate recipients of Federal transit grant assistance on laws and regulations under this chapter that impact private providers of public transportation. (c) Actions to Provide Technical Assistance for Alternative Project Delivery Methods .— Upon request by a sponsor of a new fixed guideway capital project^*, the Secretary must— (1) identify best practices for public-private partnerships models in the United States and in other countries; (2) develop standard public-private partnership transaction model contracts; and (3) perform financial assessments that include the calculation of public and private benefits of a proposed public-private partnership transaction. (d) Rule of Construction .— Nothing in this section must be construed to alter— (1) the eligibilities, requirements, or priorities for assistance provided under this chapter; or (2) the requirements of section 5306(a).