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Mobile Council discusses 90-day extension for Wave transit contract, directs plan for system review
Summary
Council members told staff to seek a 90-day extension of the city's Wave transit contract with First Transit and to provide a plan on routes, budgets and management; the council asked for briefings and comparative cost data during the extension period.
Council members on May 20 discussed a 90-day extension of Mobile’s Wave transit management contract and directed staff to return with a negotiated plan for routes, budget and oversight.
The council’s discussion centered on a proposed sole-source authorization with First Transit to continue management while the city develops a revised transit plan. Council members said the extension is intended to give staff time to negotiate a single “not to exceed” contract, align contract and union dates, and consider shifting service mix from many fixed routes to more on-demand, smaller-vehicle service.
“Can we just get clarity that this is just a 90-day extension of the existing contract?” a council member asked. Staff answered the extension is intended to bridge negotiations that would produce “standardized corridors” with fewer fixed routes and expanded on-demand service. Staff also said the extension would allow them to align federal labor-union contract dates with the transit contract to reduce operational conflicts.
Several council members pressed for specific data and for a public-services committee briefing during the extension. “If you get that data to us that’d be very helpful,” one member said, requesting comparisons with Huntsville and Montgomery on total public-transportation spending, including on-demand services. Staff said they were already gathering those figures.
Council members repeatedly raised questions about service efficiency and rider experience; one member said a typical trip from West Mobile to Government Plaza could take “an hour and 45 minutes,” and called the current looped routing inefficient. Staff said the city owns the buses and service facility and noted some smaller on-demand vehicles are not owned by the city.
Council members and staff described the intended contract changes as: (1) a single not-to-exceed annual operating number instead of an open-ended operations reimbursement; (2) reduced reliance on federal funds where feasible; and (3) contractual alignment with labor agreements. Staff said the negotiation will explore how to preserve necessary labor protections while giving the city clearer budget control.
The council indicated support for passing a 90-day extension and for holding a focused committee briefing during that period; the transcript does not show a formal recorded vote in the meeting minutes provided. Staff said they aim to present initial options in July and a plan by August to fit the city’s October 1 fiscal timeline.
The council also requested information about fleet assets, route-level ridership, and comparisons with peer cities, and directed staff to return with those data points within the extension window.
