Magic City Connector will extend to Homewood in June

The bus route that travels from Five Points South to Uptown in Birmingham will add several Homewood stops starting June 10. This date was delayed from the original planned start of May 20.

The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) is adding the stops to its Magic City Connector route after the Homewood City Council chose to reorganize bus service in its city. Route 39 was eliminated, with its Wildwood Walmart stop added to Route 3, and Route 42’s stops were merged with Route 31.

Josh Johnson with the BJCTA MAX bus service said the Magic City Connector will add stops at Vulcan, Rosedale and downtown Homewood. The exact locations haven’t been chosen yet, but places under consideration include SoHo, the plaza in front of the Trak Shak, Regions Bank, 18th Street South and Valley Avenue.

Johnson also said the stops would receive new Magic City Connector bus shelters, with white aluminum and red paneling. The shelters may include USB charging capabilities, he said.

The Connector buses will arrive every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. They will arrive every 30 minutes from 6 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays.

It costs a quarter to ride, Johnson said, and within the next six or seven months they hope to introduce digital pay options.

The BJCTA is planning a marketing campaign to let Homewood residents know about the new route, and the bus will have a spot in the We Love Homewood Day parade on May 4.

Johnson said the new route, as well as Route 31 and Route 280 that also pass through downtown Homewood, can help with some of the traffic and parking problems in the area.

“You’re going to have six to seven buses per hour coming from downtown Homewood to downtown Birmingham,” Johnson said.

Bus route maps, timetables and other information can be found at maxtransit.org.