The future of public transportation in Homewood

There isn’t typically much demand in Homewood for public transportation, said City Council President Alex Wyatt.

But in recent years, the Magic City Connector route has provided more ridership, and, along with the success of The World Games and plans from the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority’s executive director to increase not only routes but efficiency, there might soon be more options for public transit.

Wyatt said there is interest in microtransit, offering frequent routes within a small zone, but there has to be regional cooperation with other cities. The Magic City Connector, which runs routes from Homewood to popular spots in downtown Birmingham, is an example of “what can work well,” he said.

In 2021, 59,269 people rode the three routes, along with the Magic City Connector, in Homewood. So far, the city is on pace for a slight decrease in 2022, with 27,499 riders hopping on board through June.

City Councilor Jennifer Andress said options like the Magic City Connector provide ease of transportation without having to worry about parking, something valuable for events like The World Games or major concerts.

Public transportation brings the region together, Andress said, and also allows workers and others to gain access to Homewood. The city has worked with the transit authority to install more shelters at bus stops, and while future plans are still unknown, Andress hopes opportunities increase.

“Every robust region has a successful transportation system,” she said.

Not having state funding holds the state back, Andress said. Alabama is one of just a few states without any state funding for public transportation, making the BJCTA reliant on local and federal funds. The authority does receive $2 million each year from a county sales tax, which was issued several years ago to pay back the selling of bonds, along with other sources of revenue such as funding from local municipalities.

“I think some form of public transit option in the mix is important,” Councilor Nick Sims said. “Not everyone owns an automobile, and a lot of thriving metropolitan areas that are sustainable have that option for people who prefer it.”

The dive in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the city council to look at public transit options that are more individualistic, such as Via Metropolitan, and microtransit options, which might be a better fit for Homewood, Sims said. However, he said the city still needs fixed routes, too.

“We should definitely be sustaining what we do have and try to look for ways to connect more people through public transportation,” Sims said. “I think it’s important we continue to support it [traditional public transit] as well as find additional funding for it. It’d be great if there was funding from the state gas tax that was earmarked for that. I think that would help the entire region as a whole because right now we are stuck in a system where you have to pay at the municipal level to participate and that results in a fragmented system, in my opinion.”

Proposed changes that would have created microtransit zones and more routes did not occur last year. BJCTA Executive Director Charlotte Shaw said more conversations — what she calls “Transit 101” — would be held during the months of August and September, with hopes to teach cities to think about the big picture beyond just their own municipalities. The latter mindset can create disconnected routes and hurt the region as a whole.

“That’s not how we’re going to build transit,” Shaw said.

The transit authority is preparing a proposal to expand options in the over-the-mountain area and plans to present those options to the BJCTA board for approval before presenting the plan to the various cities involved, Shaw said. She has also reached out to contractors to inquire about providing an on-demand service, Shaw said, and she hopes to provide greater connectivity throughout the Birmingham region.

“We have a lot of room for growth,” Shaw said.

Any changes made to zones and routes throughout cities must be approved by each municipality. Shaw said the authority will not recommend eliminating routes but providing more options.

With so many options for transit, from personal transportation to on-demand services like Uber and Lyft, Shaw said the BJCTA must be more competitive. While buses will always see riders who use them out of necessity, due to lack of transportation, the authority is now competing for “discretionary” riders, Shaw said.

“We have to get the rider to choose us,” Shaw said. “It’s about reliability and predictability.”

Expansion in the over-the-mountain area is a goal for Shaw, she said, including possibly extending to areas like Trussville and growing in cities that already receive

service.

The Birmingham Xpress Rapid-Transit line will be a “game-changer” in Birmingham, moving east from west to connect 25 neighborhoods along a 10-mile corridor between Five Points West and Woodlawn, with buses running in 15-minute intervals. The system uses BRT technology to improve travel time, lower costs and enhance service, and crosses 80,000 jobs. The goal is for service to begin in late September, Shaw said.

The transit authority is also looking to add more complementary services and more targeted areas of service. For example, downtown ridership decreases after 7 p.m. So instead of running large buses that don’t get filled, there could be a service with 20-person vans, Shaw said, increasing efficiency.

Public transportation helps keep “synergy” between communities, Shaw said, allowing people to access different communities instead of each city existing as a silo.

“It’s vital because we have to be able to connect people all over Birmingham,” Shaw said.

Increasing opportunities and services offers a chance to make public transportation strong again, the way it used to be “before freeways and cars,” Shaw said.

Ridership increased a bit over the summer due to high gas costs, which were slowly coming down as of press time. Not only that, but The World Games, held throughout the Birmingham area in July, showed that people will get on the bus. The red line from 20th Street to Protective Stadium downtown saw 11,000 people ride for the closing ceremonies alone, Shaw said.

“People are willing; they’re waiting on a larger event,” Shaw said.

Benefiting the environment is another key factor to public transportation, Shaw said. The transit authority is making an effort to move toward electric buses, lowering emissions.

“Our environment is really important,” Shaw said. “And we are our biggest enemies.”

Shaw lived in Atlanta for 38 years, and asked if Birmingham wanted to become like the city, infamous for its traffic congestion, in the next five years.

“We have to stay ahead of the curve,” Shaw said.

But if residents are going to rely on public transportation and lower traffic congestion, the service must be convenient and reliable, Shaw said. Expansion isn’t possible until options become convenient, such as getting down U.S. 280 faster.

More federal money is available now due to the recently-passed infrastructure bill, and Shaw is also applying for grants to provide more opportunities.

“For the next three years, money will come quickly,” Shaw said. “We’ve got our catcher’s mitt on.”

Some money is available through the newly announced “Reconnecting Communities” initiative, unveiled this summer in Birmingham by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The grant provides federal dollars to reconnect communities disadvantaged by past infrastructure projects, and the city of Birmingham will be taking part in the program, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said at the event with Buttigieg.

Follow further developments in public transportation at thehomewood

star.com.

– Community Reporter Eric Taunton

contributed to this report.