As used in this article, unless a different meaning appears from the context:

(a) "Authority" means any urban mass transportation authority created pursuant to the provisions of this article;

(b) "Board" means the board of any urban mass transportation authority;

(c) "Contiguous counties" means two or more counties which constitute a compact territorial unit within an unbroken boundary wherein one county touches at least one other county, but does not require that each county touch all of the other counties so combining;

(d) "Facilities and equipment" means all real and personal property of every kind and character owned or held by any urban mass transportation system for the purpose of providing transportation by bus or rail or other conveyance serving the public;

(e) "Participating government" means any municipality or county establishing or participating in an urban mass transportation authority;

(f) "Project" means any undertaking of an authority;

(g) "Revenues" means the gross receipts derived directly or indirectly from or in connection with the operation by an authority of any urban mass transportation system or systems and shall include, without limitation, all fees, rates, fares, rentals or other income actually received or receivable by or for the account of an authority from the operation of the system, and any other receipts from whatever source derived;

(h) "Service area of the authority" means and includes an area commensurate with the area served by an existing system or systems acquired or to be acquired by an authority, or if there be no existing system, the area shall extend to and include an area to be defined by the authority;

(i) "System" means any urban mass transportation system;

(j) "Trust indenture" means a security instrument entered into by an authority pursuant to which bonds or notes are issued;

(k) "Urban area" means any area that includes a municipality or other built-up place which is appropriate for a system to serve commuters or others in the locality taking into consideration the local patterns and trends of growth;

(l) "Urban mass transportation system" means any common carrier of passengers for hire which operates equipment over regular routes within the service area of the authority; and

(m) The singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular.