Birmingham Xpress extends free period through the end of 2022
Myra Tarver walks onto one of Birmingham’s new Xpress rapid Bus Lines on Sept. 22, 2022, in Birmingham, AL.
It’s been two months since the Birmingham Xpress (BX) launched with an advertised 30 days of free rides. Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority officials have now extended the free ride period until the end of the year.
BJCTA officials said the bus line would transform the way people travel across the city by using the latest technology. According to the transit office, the Birmingham Xpress has had more than 30,000 riders in the first two months.
One of those riders is Diamond Brooks. She’s pregnant and hasn’t been feeling well. She had just left a doctor’s appointment at UAB and then rode the bus to the Woodlawn Terminal Center. It’s an easy trip for her.
“You don’t have to wait on another bus. It’s just one bus. And I think that was a good idea, that they made it like that,” Brooks said.
Brooks says she prefers the Birmingham Xpress over the regular Max Transit buses.
“Normally people don’t take the Birmingham Xpress, because everybody is not going to want to take them to the certain locations that they go to. They don’t go everywhere like the normal, the regular Max buses,” Brooks said.
Then there’s William Britton. He’s without a home and usually hangs out at the central bus terminal downtown. He says he uses the Birmingham Xpress because it’s free at the moment and keeps him from getting in trouble at the terminal.
“I just ride around on the bus, try to stay away from the bus station cause it’s too much trouble down there, too much conflict,” Britton said.
Some people have complained that it can be difficult to find out where exactly the bus stops are. The Birmingham Xpress website has a simple map of the route but doesn’t give addresses for the stops. They also advertise that a dedicated BX app is coming soon, but it still hasn’t launched.
According to BJCTA CEO Charlotte Shaw, they’re focusing on the basics before tackling the more involved technical issues.
“We’re working as an organization to enhance some of this technology and enhance it with our routes, which is what all the agencies are doing right now. But again, like everybody else, we have a work shortage, we have a driver shortage. We have professional challenges in this environment. And so we’re looking for people to help us move some of these projects along,” Shaw said.
As far as extending the free ride period, Shaw says they’re still trying to get the word out about the service. She said the ridership numbers are great, but they want more.
“We thought we would do 30 days, but the response on the corridor has been so great that we want to extend that and continue to see if that ridership will rise. Because what that’s telling us is that more and more people are taking the bus and we’re seeing that,” Shaw said.
The bus will continue to be free until the end of 2022, but starting on January 1st, it will be $1.50 one-way. And as far as the app, Shaw won’t give a launch date, but she says it’s still coming… soon!
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
