Staff photo.
Homewood has embraced the Magic City Connectorbus route since service began in June.
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority extended the route of the Magic City Connector into Homewood in June, adding stops at Vulcan, Rosedale and downtown Homewood.
The new service — available Monday through Saturday for 30 cents a ride — seems to be a success, according to Homewood City Councilor Jennifer Andress and Josh Johnson of the BJCTA.
“I personally have heard from a few riders who have been very pleased with the convenience, including one who rides her bike to the bus stop then puts it on the bus rack,” Andress said.
“We are thrilled Homewood is part of this route,” she said.
From June 10 to Nov. 21, there were 19,435 on and offs in downtown Homewood on the Connector, and Homewood ridership accounted for roughly 20% of total ridership on the route, Johnson said.
Andress said she loves “the connectivity to downtown Birmingham” the new service offers.
“It makes perfect sense to provide this travel option to UAB, Southside, Midtown, downtown and Uptown and back to Homewood,” she said.
In December, the BJCTA planned to mail a flyer with the route map and other information to all of the addresses along the corridor served by the Connector, according to Johnson.
Some improvements to the Connector are on the way, he said.
The BJCTA expects to install shelters at the Homewood stops starting in the spring, and the authority is also looking into a digital pay option for riders, Johnson said.
The Connector, as well as other routes through downtown Homewood, can also help alleviate traffic and parking problems in the area, Johnson told Homewood Star in April.
Route maps and timetables are available at maxtransit.org.
