MONROE, La. (AP) — The city's publicly owned transit system could be shut down or privatized after the City Council decided not to renew a contract with the company that manages the bus system.

The News-Star reports the council effectively ended a 36-year relationship with the bus system's management company, First Transit, on Dec. 10.

The Cincinnati-based company managed most day-to-day functions of the system.

The council rejected a contract to extend First Transit's services another five years for about $1.1 million over that span.

Mayor Jamie Mayo says city will either close the system or privatize it following the council's decision.

The council's concerns included labor negotiations, the reliability of buses and that the management company is not locally owned.

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