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Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority

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Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority Station in Birmingham
Founded1972
LocaleBirmingham, Alabama
Service areaJefferson County, Alabama
Service typeBus service
Routes31 fixed routes
Fleet56 standard buses
Daily ridership7,300 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership1,792,000 (2023)[2]
Fuel typeCompressed natural gas[3]
Websitebjcta.org

Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) is the public transportation operator in the city of Birmingham, Alabama and surrounding areas. Created in 1972 to take over transit operations from private operators, it operates 109 buses on 38 routes. It also operates paratransit services, as well as micro transit services.[4] In 2023, the system had 1,792,000 rides, or about 7,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Alabama does not provide state support for public transit, and so the funding for and service provided by BJCTA is less than other cities of equivalent size.[3] This contributes to Alabama's status as the state with the highest per capita gasoline consumption.[3]

General information

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BJCTA operated under the branding MAX, or Metro Area Express.(BJCTA) BJCTA provides fixed route and paratransit service to a service area of more than 200 square miles with a demand population base of nearly 400,000. The service area includes Birmingham, Bessemer, Fairfield, Homewood, Mountain Brook, Hoover, and Vestavia Hills. BJCTA carries out its commitment to air quality and pollution control by operating only CNG buses. BJCTA Hours of Operation Buses Monday – Friday 4:00 A.M. – 11:30 P.M. (CST) Weekend & Holidays 4:00 A.M. – 12:00 A.M. (CST) No Sunday service.

Fare prices

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  • $1.25 – Adult one way
  • $1.50 – 2-hour pass
  • $0.60 – Disabled/Medicare card holders/Senior citizens
  • $0.80 – Student fare (K-12)
  • $3 – All day pass (Adult)
  • $1.50 – All day pass (Disabled/Medicare card holders/Senior citizens)
  • $44 – Monthly Pass (Adult)
  • $36 – Monthly Pass (College student)
  • $25 – Monthly Pass (Student (K-12))
  • $21 – Monthly Pass (Disabled/Medicare card holders/Senior citizens)
  • Free – Kids below 5 with fare-paying rider (limit 3)

Paratransit (VIP) Hours of Operation

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Buses/Vans Monday – Friday 5:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. (CST) Paratransit Service is a shared-ride service using both Buses and Vans to accommodate its customer. No Sunday service for VIP/Paratransit.

Central Station Ticket Counter Hours of Operation

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Office Hours Monday – Friday 6:00 A.M.- 9:00 A.M. Saturday: 6:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. (CST) Sunday: Office is closed

Customer Information Center Hours of Operation

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(Routes, Schedules and Trip Planning Assistance) Office Hours Monday – Friday 4:00 A.M.- 9:00 P.M. Saturday: 6:00 A.M. – 9:00 P.M. (CST) Sunday: Office is closed

Central station

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Central Station serves as the primary transfer hub for the BJCTA system. It is located adjacent to the Amtrak station on Morris Ave. The original Central Station was built in 1999 on the site and demolished in 2015 to make way for the current facility.[5] The $32 million project commenced in 2014.[6] Construction was completed in 2017 with Max Transit buses beginning service on June 19th and a ribbon cutting on June 30.[7] The transit center contains an approximately 300 space parking lot, an indoor waiting area, and a cafe. As of 2024, it serves Max Transit, although it was intended to serve Megabus and Greyhound intercity buses too.[8]

Fixed routes

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  • 1 South Bessemer/UAB Medical West/Wal-Mart
  • 3 Jefferson/Wenonah
  • 5 Ensley/Wylam
  • 6 Pratt/Ensley
  • 12 Highland Avenue
  • 14 Palisades/Barbara Court
  • 17 Century Plaza/Eastwood Mall
  • 18 Fountain Heights
  • 20 Zion City/Airport
  • 22 Tarrant City/Inglenook
  • 23 North Birmingham/Collegeville
  • 25 Center Point/Jefferson State
  • 26 Jefferson State
  • 31 Hwy 31 Limited Stop
  • 38 Graymont/Ensley
  • 39 Homewood/Wildwood
  • 45 Bessemer/Jonesboro
  • 45 Express/Western Hills Mall
  • 48 South Powderly
  • 91 East/West Dart
  • 95 Westend Shuttle
  • 96 Titusville Shuttle
  • 280 Hwy 280 Limited Stop

Airport Shuttle

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Beginning in December 2015, BJCTA introduced two new express Airport Shuttle routes from downtown Birmingham hotels directly to Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. One bus serves Northside hotels and the other bus serves Southside hotel. The Airport Shuttle routes operate hourly on Mondays through Saturdays and the fare is $5.00.

Birmingham Xpress

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A bus rapid transit line, named the Birmingham Xpress, was opened on September 22, 2022, running from Woodlawn to Five Points.[9] The service will speed up journeys by offering dedicated lanes, transit signal priority, off-board fare payment and level boarding.[10] The Birmingham Xpress was set up with funds from the federal government under the Presidency of Joe Biden. It did not receive state funds, because Alabama does not provide state funds for public transit. It has 32 stops across an east-west corridor across the city. After starting service, it quickly became the most utilized route in the BJCTA system.[3]

Fleet

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  • 56 standard buses
  • 43 Orion VII CNG LF buses
  • 22 paratransit buses

Fixed route ridership

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The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response services.[11]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
2017
2020
2023

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Lavelle, Marianne (2023-07-19). "Birmingham Public Transit Inches Forward With Federal Help, and No State Funding". Inside Climate News. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  4. ^ "MAX – DIRECT – MAX Transit – Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority". Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  5. ^ "History". Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "MAX's Central Transit Station opens in downtown Birmingham". Birmingham Times. June 19, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Erin Edgemon (June 19, 2017). "Birmingham's downtown MAX central station now open". AL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "Intermodal". Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Nathan Watson (September 22, 2022). "NEW Birmingham Xpress officially begins service; FREE rides for 30 days". Bham Now. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Birmingham Bus Rapid Transit". Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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