Photo from Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority website
The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority offers door-to-door service in certain parts of the metro area, including soon in Homewood, Alabama.
The Homewood City Council on Monday voted to take a test drive with the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority’s micro-transit program.
The micro-transit program will provide point-to-point transportation within the city of Homewood for $1.50 per trip.
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham will pay for the trial period, which will run from early July 2026 until the end of September 2027.
“We’re not going to get a better test drive than this right here,” Mayor Jennifer Andress said during Monday’s City Council meeting. “We get a year and a quarter funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham to see if this is going to be successful in our community.”
Chris Lane expressed confidence that the program will be well received. “Residents are going to be very happy,” he said. "I really feel that.”
Andress said Homewood has special needs populations, such as those at The Exceptional Foundation or Our Home, who can live independently but not transport themselves. “This will be a great option for them with the cost of $1.50 a ride,” she said. “I mean this could be really a game changer. It really could be.”
The program was set to begin on July 1, but that timing might be tweaked to get beyond the Fourth of July holiday.
In other action Monday, the City Council:
Delegated limited authority to the city manager regarding budget transfers. The city manager can handle budget transfers of as much as $30,000 with the chief financial officer or official acting in that stead signing off on the action. The council will ultimately review vouchers from the transfer.
Established an early retirement incentive package. To qualify, someone would have to have worked for the city 15 years and be eligible through the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The city will cover that person’s health insurance for 15 years. Someone who is 60 years of age who has worked for Homewood for 10 years can retire and receive 13 years of insurance coverage. The window for accepting the offer is July 1 to the end of September.
Agreed to approve a hazard mitigation plan that is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The plan was developed in conjunction with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.
Revised the city’s Abatement Board ordinance, establishing a liaison to the board and providing that each council member will appoint one member from their ward and the mayor will appoint one member at-large. There will be two supernumerary members appointed by a vote of the council; those people may live in any ward of the city.
Allowed the city manager to execute an agreement with CB&A Construction for the construction of the U.S. 31 pedestrian tunnel improvement project and approved a budget amendment for that project
Approved an additional $20 charge for certain residential construction permits in Homewood, with the money going to the new Alabama Construction Trade Academy, which trains people how to do various jobs in residential construction
Executed an agreement with Poole & Co. Architects for architectural services in the construction of a public works site at 187 Citation Court. That project is not to exceed $211,945, which will come from the Public Works Building Renovation Fund.
Granted permission for a retaining wall to extend into the city right of way next to 303 Ridge Road
Approved a restaurant retail liquor license for the Hilton Garden Inn at 520 Wildwood Circle N.
