Mobile has a new transportation service. The City Council on Tuesday approved a contract with Via Transportation, which will be tasked with redesigning a bus system that has been criticized as expensive, slow and little used.
Port City Transit, the limited liability company established by Via Transportation, will be paid $12.1 million a year – $8 million of which will come from the city, with the rest coming from federal funds.
The term of the contract will run for three years, with two one-year renewal options. “I just want to commend the administration and Via for my recommendations with these amendments,” said Councilman Cory Penn, who hasto give the council an earlier opportunity to end the contract, if needed. “I really appreciate their taking the time to do that.”Nothing will change for the first nine months of the contract. The council approved an amendment to the contract that makes clear that all current employees of The Wave Transit System will be transferred to the new company. They will keep their seniority and benefits and will receive a cash payout for their unused leave time. City officials said a series of reviews and public hearings will take place to help shape the future of public transportation in Mobile. Via already, a ride-hailing system sponsored by the Mobile Chamber that works similarly to Uber. The expectation is that will be folded into the bus system and possibly expanded. The administration has discussed the possibility of reducing fixed routes and using more point-to-point transit on the ride-hailing model. But those are decisions for the future, and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said it is complicated. “You look at how much money we’re spending in that area, you would think that, you know, you should be able to do better,” he said after Tuesday’s council meeting. “But there’s so many constraints that come with that from the federal government about what you can and can’t do that it makes it very challenging to do that. I think if you weren’t encumbered by regulations, that you could go in and really do something really creative.” Councilman Ben Reynolds said he is confident that Via has a “proven track record” and knows how public transportation works. He cited the company’s focus on technology. “Our expectation as a city is that Via is going to come back to us with a clear path forward to increase the ridership, make it more convenient for the people that are out there using these services – and to just be more effective of what we’re doing,” he said. Even before Via begins making changes, Councilwoman Gina Gregory said she hopes the city can improve the system. “We hear about shelters and more bus stops and maybe some areas where we need to provide better bus stops, more areas for the bus stops,” she said.Teacher no longer employed for saying ‘America became greater’ after Charlie Kirk shooting, district confirms Conservative activist Charlie Kirk dead after being shot at university event; initial persons of interest released‘She was everybody’s cheerleader’: Auburn professor remembered after deadly stabbing
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