(1) "Authority" means a regional transportation authority created pursuant to this chapter and the authorities so created are exempt from the provisions of Article 11 of Chapter 11 of Title 6.

(2) "City" means any municipality with a population of five thousand or more according to the latest United States Census of population located within the service area of the authority.

(3) "Consolidated government" means the governmental body formed by corporate consolidation of municipal and county governments under the laws of this State into a single local government entity.

(4) "County" means any county of this State, all or any part of which may be included in an "urbanized area" as defined by the United States Bureau of the Census and as further defined in this chapter.

(5) "Metropolitan government" means any county or combination of contiguous counties, municipality, or combination of contiguous municipalities, or combination of contiguous county or counties and municipality or municipalities, or a consolidated government with a combined population of over fifty thousand persons.

(6) "Metropolitan planning organization" means the entity which has been designated to carry on the continuing, comprehensive, cooperative transportation planning process for the urbanized area.

(7) "Municipality" means any incorporated city or town within the regional transportation area.

(8) "Operator" means any person engaged in, or intending to engage in, the business of providing public transportation, but does not include a person engaged primarily in the transportation of children to or from school or a person or agency furnishing transportation solely for his or its employees or customers.

(9) "Person" means any individual, public or private corporation, political subdivision, government agency, municipality, industry, copartnership, association, firm, trust, estate, or any other legal entity whatsoever.

(10) "Public transportation" means every conveyance of human passengers by bus, van, or any other surface vehicle as required for intrastate service which is provided to the general public or selected groups on a regular and continuing basis including charter service. Freight delivery is allowed as a concomitant service.

(11) "Public transportation system" means, without limitation, a combination of real and personal property, structures, improvements, buildings, equipment, plants, rolling stock, vehicle parking, or other facilities and rights-of-way, or any combination, used or useful for the purposes of public transportation.

(12) "Regional planning council" means that public agency created pursuant to Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 6.

(13) "Regional transportation area" means that area pursuant to the groupings of counties as set forth in Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 6.

(14) "Service area" means the area served by the regional transportation authority and may be all or part of the area of jurisdiction of an authority and in no event shall the service area contain less than fifty thousand population.

(15) "Transportation facility" means the property or property rights, both real and personal, of a type used for the establishment of public transportation systems within the service area which have heretofore or may hereafter be established by public bodies for the transportation of people and property from place to place.

(16) "Urbanized area" means an area so designated by the most recent United States Census of Population.

(17) "Financial contribution" means the sum of actual cash plus the actual value of any materials or in-kind services supplied.