Charter and Special Service Guidelines

Wave Transit System (WTS) Charter Service Policy

As a publicly funded transportation system, the Wave Transit System (WTS) must comply with all Federal Transit Administration (FTA) laws and regulations regarding charter service.

Federal transit law (49 USC §5323(d)) and FTA Charter Service Regulation (49 CFR Part 604) prohibit recipients of federal funding from providing charter service, except under specific conditions.

What Qualifies as Charter or Special Service?

According to the FTA, transportation is considered charter or special service if it meets the following criteria and can be provided by private transportation companies:

• Custom transportation—temporary or permanent—provided for a fixed fee (monetary or in-kind) or at no cost.
• Service that follows a non-published itinerary or schedule to a specific event or destination, determined by an external entity (e.g., an individual, organization, business, or government agency).
• Deviations from existing routes or timetables, including additional runs, tripper services, or extended hours, requested by an external entity.

What Is NOT Considered Charter or Special Service?

The following services do not fall under charter or special service restrictions:

• Additional vehicles added to accommodate overflow passengers on existing routes due to special events.
• Vehicles used for emergency evacuations or evacuation drills.
• Intermittent fixed or express routes open to the general public.

Policy Enforcement

In compliance with federal law and regulations, WTS will not use any vehicles to operate charter or special services.

All question regarding or requests for charter or special service should be directed to:

The Wave Transit System
Attn: David Dixon | Manager of Transportation | Ext 240
1224 West I-65 Service Road South | Mobile, AL 36609
(251)344-6600