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BJCTA outlines '70/30' plan to boost frequent routes and microtransit; councilors press for cross-municipal service
Summary
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority presented a multi-year plan to concentrate service on frequent corridors, expand microtransit zones and incrementally build bus rapid transit. Council members pushed BJCTA on limits that keep microtransit from crossing municipal lines and pressed for more outreach in affected neighborhoods.
Director Charlotte Shaw of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority outlined the agency(BJCTA) told the City Council the 70/30 plan aims to shift resources to a frequent transit network, expand microtransit where needed and grow bus rapid transit (BRT) service over several fiscal years.
The plan, Shaw said, combines frequent corridor investments with smaller suburban connectors and microtransit zones. "Because of the 7030 plan, even the May changes that we just made, we were able to reallocate $1,700,000, reallocate to better changes to increase liability," Shaw told council. She said some fixed routes will move from hourly to 45- or 30-minute headways and that the agency expects to reach higher on-time performance with phased changes.
Dr. Nick Tidy, BJCTA's budget data analyst, gave ridership figures: "As of May 25, we saw 20,000 rides in microtransit," he said, and noted microtransit use has grown alongside rising BRT ridership. Consultant Jim Mitchell said the planwould consolidate low-productivity neighborhood routes to create more frequent service on main corridors.
Councilors pressed BJCTA on how microtransit zones operate. Councilor JT Moore and others criticized the current model that confines microtransit to municipal zones, saying it limits riders' access to jobs across city lines. "What is public transportation if you're not able to utilize it across municipal lines?" Moore asked. Director Shaw and her staff explained that microtransit operates in defined zones for budget and vehicle-allocation reasons and that crossing zones typically requires a different funding model or a point-of-interest fare add-on in limited cases.
Shaw acknowledged the limits and invited council members to a on-site luncheon and follow-up briefings: "If you give me the opportunity and come to BJCTA, where we can actually walk you through how this system works, we would love for municipalities to cross. But it's siloed because it's based on budget." She also said BJCTA is coordinating with neighboring municipalities where possible and is expanding microtransit capacity by about 9% per month.
Councilors and BJCTA staff agreed on more neighborhood outreach and promised follow-up meetings, ridealongs and additional public materials. Shaw said BJCTA is working toward 80% reliability across fixed routes as the 70/30 plan continues to be implemented across fiscal 2026 and 2027.
Ending: BJCTA asked council members to attend local community meetings and a luncheon at BJCTA for a detailed briefing; councilors asked the agency to prioritize clear notices and to work with municipalities and regional partners on funding options that would allow more cross-jurisdiction connectivity.
