A verdict will soon be reached concerning the two bus routes that WAVE Transit has been threatening to ax ever since New Hanover County cut its funding in June. The Transit Authority, which is funded by the county and the city of Wilmington, met with both parties on Thursday to discuss the future of the routes in question—routes that serve northern New Hanover County and Pleasure Island. Although the county and city were unable to reach a long-term consensus, they agreed to meet once more to draw up a sustainable plan on January fifteenth—and no routes are expected to be cut beforehand.
The standing-room-only meeting also drew about fifteen daily bus riders. Some, such as Shannon Dunn--a cosmetology student who relies on the 207 route to get from her downtown Wilmington home to class at Cape Fear Community College--have been actively working to preserve those routes on the chopping block.
"I’ve been petitioning, I’ve got over two thousand signatures. This has been going on for me ever since I saw the signs on the buses that they were threatening to take it away. I’ve been in a fight to save this bus."
In the near-term, County Commission Chair Woody White says he supports the forgiveness of a loan the commission made to WAVE. This would preserve the routes, at least for the time being. The commissioners are expected to formally vote on this today.