November 18, 2025. Wave Transit, the public transportation system serving Wilmington and New Hanover County, has secured $1.02 million from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant Program to purchase six new compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle vehicles, replacing aging diesel-powered models.
Six new shuttles will replace older vehicles nearing the end of their service life, lowering the overall age of Wave Transit’s fleet. The purchase also completes Wave’s transition from diesel to compressed natural gas, which officials say will improve reliability, reduce emissions, and support a safer transit system for riders and other drivers.
Ridership on Wave’s Seahawk Shuttle routes — operated in partnership with UNCW — has increased 48% over the past year, or roughly 42,000 additional trips. Systemwide ridership across all fixed routes rose by 28%. Wave plans to deploy the new shuttles primarily on Seahawk routes, with flexibility to use them on other fixed routes when needed.
The Wave Transit board approved the agency’s application for the federal Low- or No-Emission grant in June. The $1.02 million award requires a $180,000 local match. Wave was one of only two transit agencies in North Carolina to receive awards in this year’s $2 billion national funding round, alongside Winston-Salem Transit Authority.
Wave previously won a Low- or No-Emission grant in 2023, which paid for four compressed natural gas fixed-route buses and one compressed natural gas shuttle, completing its transition of fixed-route vehicles away from diesel.