Congress mandates equal toll access for buses, opens pricing to public view

What it does

This bill clarifies that over-the-road buses operating in scheduled or charter service must receive equal access to toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries at the same rates and terms as public transit vehicles. It also requires the Federal Highway Administration to publish a public database within 180 days listing the toll rates and conditions at all covered facilities, and annually thereafter.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a regulatory clarification ensuring equal toll access for over-the-road buses and mandating public disclosure of toll rates. It is fundamentally a transparency and competitive-fairness measure, not a subsidy or deregulation.

What the text implies

• The bill's requirement for equal toll rates may reduce toll-facility revenue if over-the-road buses were previously charged premium rates; this could affect toll-authority budgets and toll-road maintenance funding.
• The public database requirement creates a new transparency standard that may expose disparities in toll pricing across regions and facility types, potentially inviting legislative or regulatory scrutiny of toll-setting practices.
• Charter bus operators and intercity bus companies gain a competitive advantage against trucking and other freight modes if they were previously charged higher toll rates; this may shift modal choice in freight and passenger transport.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill increases transparency and competitive fairness by requiring equal toll access for charter and scheduled bus services and mandating public disclosure of toll rates. Citizens using intercity or charter bus services benefit from lower or fairer toll costs, and the public gains visibility into toll-facility pricing that was previously opaque.

Who stands to gain

• over-the-road bus operators (charter and scheduled service)
• intercity bus companies
• passengers using charter and intercity bus services

Named in the bill

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), over-the-road bus operators, toll authorities, public transportation agencies, charter bus services, Title 23 USC (federal highway law), Title 49 CFR Part 604 (charter service definition), Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991

Where it stands

5 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Mar 31, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 31, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $264,651 in lobbying spend. A filing names 1 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Jefferson Van Drew, the sponsor, reported $386,700 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• United Motorcoach Association — $104,651 on 2 filings
• American Bus Association — $80,000 on 1 filing
• United Motorcoach Association — $80,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.