By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) will host an open house on Tuesday, April 27 at its Intermodal Facility in downtown Birmingham.
The open house will be an all-day event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the BJCTA board room at the Intermodal at 1801 Morris Avenue.
The BJCTA conducted a Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) of the existing MAX transit services, that has not changed in 40 years.
The purpose of the event will be to present that analysis which will identify what works and what doesn’t in the current system, explore ways to increase ridership and improve service efficiency and cost effectiveness. The COA will be based on input from the community to ensure it meets the region’s mobility needs.
During the open house, patrons and residents will learn more about the BJCTA’s plan to improve frequency, simplify routes, connect with the Birmingham Rapid Transit (BRT) route, new on-demand micro transit zones and faster regional connections with mobility hubs.
The agency says market conditions in Birmingham are constantly changing and as population and employment trends vary throughout the region, it is important to assess existing transit service to ensure the service continues to meet the demand of and needs of the current population. Additionally, it’s always important to take a step back and look at service holistically to determine if resources can be used more efficiently and effectively to ensure BJCTA is delivering the best service possible within its available financial resources.
The COA has several goals:
- Retain existing riders and attract new riders.
- Establish a framework for making decisions about existing and future transit service.
- Develop recommendations to strengthen MAX’s transit network.
- Explore innovative non fixed-route/alternative services to complement the fixed-route network.
In addition, BJCTA will work with community members and leaders to establish a set of more specific goals and principals that will guide the project through completion.
The agency wants to:
- Learn from riders about what they like and don’t like about micro transit services and how they use the system.
- Work with stakeholders to gain insight into regional priorities for transit service.
- Evaluate current population, employment, and demographic trends as well as travel patterns and future development plans to understand potential demand for transit service.
- Analyze service ridership and performance on a route by route and stop-level basis paying special attention to what works well and what needs improvement.
- Review existing financial conditions to understand revenue sources and drivers in operating cost.
For more information visit www.forwardwithmax.com.
