Posting Language
Title
Authorize a contract for two airport tarmac transport buses for Austin Aviation with COBUS LLC in an amount not to exceed $1,299,500. Funding: $1,299,500 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Aviation.
Body
Lead Department
Austin Financial Services.
Client Department(s)
Austin Aviation.
Fiscal Note
Funding for the total contract amount is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Aviation.
Procurement Language:
Sole Source.
MBE/WBE:
Sole source contracts are exempt from the City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established.
For More Information:
Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to Austin Financial Services - Central Procurement at: FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500.
Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action:
September 9, 2026 - Recommended by the Airport Advisory Commission on a 7-0 Vote with members Brock, Wilson, Chiu, and Turrieta absent.
Additional Backup Information:
The contract is for the purchase of two low-floor airside transport buses that will be used to load and unload passengers from airplanes on flights that are staged away from available airport terminals on airport hardstand. These buses are specifically designed to provide service on the ramps and aprons at airports. They are constructed on a low-profile chassis for easy access, designed to hold up to 110 passengers, and are constructed from aluminum to maximize fuel efficiency when compared to other buses.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is the fastest growing airport in the United States. It continues to experience passenger activity levels above the national average growth rate and continues to break passenger traffic records. Additionally, AUS is the primary airport for flights being diverted from the Dallas and Houston airports due to inclement weather in those cities. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules require any flight delayed on the tarmac for more than three hours to disembark the passengers from the plane, which often happens away from the terminal. Special events held in Austin such as South by Southwest, Formula 1, and MotoGP, have resulted in a rapid increase of charter international flights. These flights must be loaded and unloaded away from the terminal in the event of a lack of available gates from which to operate. These buses are needed to handle the increase in passenger activities, irregular operations, charter flights, and to assist with meeting the FAA rules. Currently there are three buses in the fleet for AUS.
Opening Concourse M will not be possible without the purchase of these COBUS vehicles. They are critical to airport operations, providing the only practical means of transporting passengers between Concourse M and the Barbara Jordan Terminal. Acquiring these vehicles is essential to meeting our operational commitments and delivering the level of service our airline partners expect.
Austin Fleet Mobility Services and the Office of Sustainability have collaborated to develop a vehicle purchasing process to progress towards the city’s net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions goals. This purchasing standard incorporates the following criteria: pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions impact, available technologies on the market, physical demands on the vehicle, service application, and life-cycle cost. These criteria are applied to all vehicle purchase requests submitted to Austin Fleet Mobility Services. Austin Fleet Mobility Services recommends vehicles that use hybrid, electric, or alternative fuel (e.g. B20 biodiesel, E85 gasoline, propane) powered engines whenever possible.
If a contract is not secured, the department will be unable to abide by Department of Transportation regulations regarding diversions. Additionally, AUS would not be able to provide prompt service to its customers/airline partners, and passengers that would be accommodated by the services that these specialty buses provide.