Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority

Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority, operating as Wave Transit, is a local government transit authority in Wilmington, North Carolina that receives federal grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to operate fixed-route bus services, paratransit, and specialized transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities in the greater Wilmington region. Wave Transit acts exclusively as a grant recipient rather than a federal contractor, with 97% of its 73 recent federal awards coming as a prime recipient directly from the FTA under various transit formula grant programs.

Wave Transit's federal grant portfolio centers on three core capability areas. The largest category comprises operating assistance grants under the Federal Transit Formula Grants program (CFDA 20.507), which fund preventive maintenance and operations of fixed-route bus and paratransit services serving the NC District 7 urbanized area (formerly Wilmington UZA 161). Recent examples include a $6.057 million formula grant awarded April 21, 2026 for operations and vehicle maintenance through March 31, 2033, and a $3.2 million formula grant from June 17, 2025 supporting similar services through March 31, 2032. The second category covers specialized elderly and disabled transportation under the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program (CFDA 20.513), including a $512,782 award on May 20, 2026 that funds purchased transportation to senior resource centers and adult day care facilities, mobility management, website accessibility upgrades to WCAG 2.1 compliance, and onboard bus safety cameras. The third category comprises capital grants under the Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low or No Emissions Programs (CFDA 20.526), which support fleet modernization and facility improvements—recent awards include a $362,257 grant (March 10, 2026) for support vehicle procurement, vehicle cameras, bus shelter construction, compressed natural gas fueling station replacement, and IT hardware upgrades, and a $6.73 million project grant (January 17, 2025) for procurement of five CNG buses to meet FTA state-of-good-repair requirements.

Wave Transit's customer concentration is absolute and monolithic: 100% of its 71 prime awards and identified federal relationship stem from the Federal Transit Administration, reflecting the fact that Wave Transit is a designated recipient for FTA formula apportionments in the Wilmington urbanized area. The authority has received $194.4 million in combined dollars obligated across its recent 73-award footprint spanning from 1999 to May 2026. Activity has remained relatively stable at three to four awards per year over the past five years (2022–2026), with only one award facing completion within the next twenty-four months. Grant terms typically run seven to ten years; most active awards carry ultimate completion dates between 2031 and 2033. Wave Transit reports no subrecipient activities across its FTA grants, operating as the direct recipient and implementer of all funded programs. Two sub-award records appear in the source (one federal grant sub-award from December 2024 for expansion of on-demand transit services in 11 rural communities, and one from July 1, 2022 related to Cape Fear public transit operations), but detailed descriptions are minimal and do not indicate a material sub-recipient role in Wave Transit's federal footprint.