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Council backs Transit FAST feasibility study and accepts $8.3M FTA grant for buses
Summary
Fayetteville's council voted to receive the Transit FAST feasibility study, authorized staff to pursue partnerships and competitive grants for regional express service and a west-side operations facility, and unanimously accepted an approximately $8.3 million FTA grant to buy five buses and charging infrastructure.
Fayetteville City Council on March 9 received a feasibility study from Transit Director Tiffany Neil and consultants and authorized FAST staff to continue partner collaborations and seek competitive grants for regional express service and a secondary operations and maintenance facility on the city's west side.
Director Tiffany Neil told council the study identified six possible regional-express alternatives, based on commuting-data analysis indicating most trips originate and remain within Cumberland County. "We want to be a viable option in our community," Neil said, outlining the agency's goal to shift FAST from a system of need to a system of choice.
Consultants said a pilot should run at least two years to gather ridership data. Operating-cost baselines presented estimated annual operating expenses per new route of roughly $141,000 for an eight-hour, three-day schedule and $244,000 for five-day service. Capital costs vary by vehicle type: consultant figures in the presentation ranged from about $400,000 for a light-transit vehicle (LTV) to $1.5 million for a battery-electric bus.
Council also moved to accept and appropriate a separate FTA competitive grant award of about $8.3 million to buy five buses, training and charging infrastructure. Tiffany Neil said FTA approved a conversion that will allow FAST to receive one battery-electric bus and three hybrids in place of three originally planned battery buses, increasing the vehicle count available under the grant. Council suspended the work-session rules to adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2026-37 and voted unanimously to accept and appropriate the funds.
Council members repeatedly pressed for clear funding commitments from partner municipalities (Hope Mills and Spring Lake were noted as potential partners) and emphasized the need to factor capital delivery timelines into pilot planning: staff and consultants said buses typically require 18 to 24 months to be delivered after order. Mayor Bill Flowers (visiting) and representatives of partner towns expressed tentative support for a pilot route under a shared-funding model.
The motion to receive the feasibility report and authorize staff to pursue grants and partnerships passed with unanimous council support. Staff was directed to return with detailed funding scenarios, procurement timelines and a proposed pilot plan for council review prior to any final route approvals.
