BJCTA introduces microtransit service

Public transportation looks a little different in Mountain Brook these days.

Instead of all Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority buses following a fixed route, some can take you right to your doorstep.

For fiscal 2020, which began Oct. 1, 2019, the city reached an agreement with the BJCTA that includes one fixed route, 43 Zoo, and a microtransit option called MAX-DIRECT.

According to a press release announcing its launch, MAX-DIRECT is an on-demand, rideshare service similar to Uber or Lyft that uses smaller, neighborhood-friendly shuttle buses. The buses will pick up riders at Central Station in downtown Birmingham and drop them off at a requested address or pick them up at the address and return them to Central Station.

“Our hope is to continue to evolve our services to meet the needs of our riders to become the transportation mobility manager in our region,” BJCTA Executive Director and CEO Frank Martin said in the release.

MAX-DIRECT replaces two fixed routes, 502 Cherokee Bend and 504 Hermitage. It launched Nov. 4 and was implemented in partnership with TransLoc, a Ford Smart Mobility Company.

Riders can request a ride through the TransLoc app, which provides an estimated pickup time, allows riders to track their bus and alerts them when their bus is about to arrive.

“We understand that not all our riders have smartphones and that usage of the app may not be possible, so requests for same-day rides will also be accepted online or by telephone,” Martin said in the release.

The one fixed route servicing Mountain Brook, 43 Zoo, loops from downtown Birmingham through English and Mountain Brook villages.

In total, the city agreed to pay the BJCTA $139,032 for 1,688 service hours this fiscal year.