MAX examining bus route expansion in Vestavia Hills, other areas

UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect that the city of Vestavia Hills has not approved any plan for the expansion of bus routes in Vestavia Hills, and any changes would have to be approved by the City Council.

Those wishing to save gas money in the over-the-mountain area will have more options to do so, after MAX Transit announced plans to expand route offerings in the Birmingham area.

Wytanga Peak-Finney, the interim planning director for the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, said Vestavia Hills currently receives “very infrequent” service, with a morning bus heading downtown, and an evening bus headed toward the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover.

In the future, the BJCTA has proposed running MAX buses all day, and city leaders have not shown opposition to the plan, she said. However, while the city of Vestavia Hills has not said "no," the city's communications director, Cinnamon McCulley, said nothing has been approved and any changes have to be approved by the City Council. The changes would include an increase in city expenditures to the BJCTA, though the amount is not known at this time.

New routes would connect Vestavia to Mountain Brook and its microtransit zone, which offers “convenient local travel and connection to improved fixed route bus services,” as well as a new transit hub at Brookwood Village in Homewood, which is also scheduled to receive a new microtransit zone. Microtransit zones allow riders to travel anywhere within that zone.

Beginning in January 2022, that route, Route 43, will allow customers to travel anywhere within that zone, which also includes Five Points South and Highland Park, while allowing them to connect with the 15-minute Magic City Connector in Five Points South and the rest of the fixed route network at Central Station.

The Birmingham-Mountain Brook microtransit zone will allow customers to travel within the zone, while the Homewood zone will “serve job centers and other key destinations in Homewood and Bessemer” between Interstate 65 and Red Mountain Park. Riders can also connect with Route 14, which is being extended, to travel to Lakeshore Parkway and the intersection of Green Springs Highway and Oxmoor Road/Palisades Boulevard.

In May 2022, the Magic City Connector will operate every 15 minutes between the BJCC and Five Points South on weekdays, with every other trip, a 30-minute service, continuing south to Brookwood Village and Brookwood Baptist Medical Center.

On U.S. 31, the route between Central Station and the Galleria will continue with 60-minute service all day. There will be a microtransit zone serving Lorna Road and surrounding areas, including John Hawkins Parkway, and riders can get on the bus and head to Brookwood Village to connect with the Mountain Brook microtransit zone.

For Birmingham, Homewood and Vestavia, weekday service will be increased from nine to 16 roundtrips, and in Hoover, the service will increase from seven to 16 roundtrips.

The new microtransit zones will be joined by the expansion of on-demand travel, following the success of Birmingham On Demand, said Myrna Pittman, director of marketing for the BJCTA. The authority wants to see more riders on buses while also making changes to routes, as that has not been done in 40 years, she said.

“We believe we provide a very valuable service,” Pittman said.

Pittman said the BJCTA has been meeting with community leaders and residents to determine what is needed and what best serves the Birmingham area.

Along with increasing the number of routes and adding microtransit zones, Pittman said the BJCTA wants to cut down on the service times, as some buses run every 90 minutes, which is “not good.” The goal is to get all routes down to an hour for the time being, and eventually getting as many as possible down to 30 minutes.

For more information, visit maxtransit.org.