Homewood council directs city manager to pursue microtransit pilot with BJCTA

The Homewood City Council voted unanimously to direct the city manager to develop a microtransit pilot in partnership with the Birmingham‑Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.

Mayor Jennifer Andress and several councilors said the idea has been under discussion for years, including a 2021 survey with the regional planning commission. Councilors framed microtransit as a way to serve residents with limited mobility — for example, people traveling to medical appointments, seniors and residents with vision loss — and to provide convenient short trips that might reduce pressure on fixed‑route services.

Councilor Lane emphasized operational questions and monthly data collection, noting the pilot could change routing and complement existing bus alignments. Councilor Stamos described strong constituent interest, and Councilor Lane flagged budget tradeoffs and the possibility that a successful pilot could require more vehicles than initially planned.

Mayor Andress credited the Community Foundation for work on the concept and stressed outreach and education as keys to success. “A 15‑month ramp, I think, is the best of all worlds as far as a pilot goes,” she said, and added that current self‑reported interest for the service is about 50 percent among surveyed residents.

The motion directs City Manager Smith to evaluate adding microtransit services and to present a proposed BJCTA agreement for council consideration; the council approved the direction 5–0 and recorded it as Resolution 26‑40 with the intent to finalize a vote in June and begin the pilot in July if approved.

Next steps: staff will prepare a proposed agreement, anticipated performance metrics and a budget plan; councilors said they expect monthly data collection to inform route adjustments and future budgeting.