(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, all operators providing service within the area under the jurisdiction of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board and filing claims pursuant to Section 99260 shall be considered a single operator. In order for all those operators to be eligible for funds under this article, an areawide ratio of fare revenues to operating cost, as defined by subdivision (a) of Section 99247, shall be determined on the basis of the total operating cost and total fare revenues of all the operators, which ratio shall not be less than the areawide ratio for the 1978–79 fiscal year.
(b) In calculating the areawide ratio for the 1978–79 fiscal year, only the fare revenues and the operating costs of those operators that are in compliance with Section 99268, 99268.1, 99268.2, or 99268.3, whichever section was applicable to the operator during the 1978–79 fiscal year, are to be used.
(c) During the period of the first two years of operation, a new operator subject to this section shall claim each year no more than 75 percent of its total operating cost for that year.
(Added by Stats. 1981, Ch. 1055, Sec. 8.)