The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA), branded as MAX Transit, 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 2025, the system had 1,879,300 rides, or about 6,000 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2026.
 | |
 A Birmingham Xpress bus in downtown Birmingham | |
| Founded | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Locale | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Service area | Jefferson County, Alabama |
| Service type | Bus service |
| Routes | 31 fixed routes |
| Fleet | 56 standard buses |
Daily ridership | 6,000 (weekdays, Q1 2026)[1] |
Annual ridership | 1,879,300 (2025)[2] |
| Fuel type | Compressed natural gas[3] |
Chief executive | Charlotte Shaw |
| Website | maxtransit |
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]
The service runs from 4:00 AM to 11:30 PM on Weekdays and from 4:00 AM to midnight on Saturdays and holidays. There is no service on Sundays.
History
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The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) was created in 1972 after the state legislature passed a law permitting the creation of public transit agencies. In 1985, BJCTA adopted the MAX branding. MAX Transit began shifting to compressed natural gas buses in the 2000s and opened the Birmingham Xpress service in 2022.[5][6]
Services
editMAX Transit operates several bus routes as well as the Birmingham Xpress and on-demand zones.
Fixed routes
edit- 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
Birmingham Xpress
editA bus rapid transit line, named the Birmingham Xpress, was opened on September 22, 2022, running from Woodlawn to Five Points.[7] The service will speed up journeys by offering dedicated lanes, transit signal priority, off-board fare payment and level boarding.[8] 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]
On-Demand
editIn 2019, MAX Transit launched an on-demand service, serving downtown Birmingham. The service saw 25,000 riders in its first 11 months of operation.[9]
Fleet
edit- 56 standard buses
- 43 Orion VII CNG LF buses
- 22 paratransit buses
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.[6] The $32 million project commenced in 2014.[10] Construction was completed in 2017 with MAX Transit buses beginning service on June 19th and a ribbon cutting on June 30.[11] 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.[12]
Fixed route ridership
editThe ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response services.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2026" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 28, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Lavelle, Marianne (July 19, 2023). "Birmingham Public Transit Inches Forward With Federal Help, and No State Funding". Inside Climate News. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ↑ "MAX – DIRECT – MAX Transit – Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority". Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ↑ "BJCTA History « BJCTA MAX". www.bjcta.org. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- 1 2 "History". MAX Transit. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ↑ Nathan Watson (September 22, 2022). "NEW Birmingham Xpress officially begins service; FREE rides for 30 days". Bham Now. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Birmingham Bus Rapid Transit". www.birminghamal.gov. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ↑ Byington, Pat (November 20, 2020). "Birmingham On-Demand tops 25,500 rides in first 11 months | Bham Now". Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ↑ "MAX's Central Transit Station opens in downtown Birmingham". Birmingham Times. June 19, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ↑ Erin Edgemon (June 19, 2017). "Birmingham's downtown MAX central station now open". AL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ↑ "Coming Soon - Birmingham Intermodal Terminal". MAX Transit. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ↑ "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Federal Transit Administration. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
External links
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