Low-cost, on-demand rides coming to Homewood this summer

The City of Homewood is welcoming on-demand transit to its community for a pilot phase to learn how residents will use the ride service.

Via Microtransit is a low-cost transit option that operates in a handful of communities in the Greater Birmingham area. A ride costs just $1.50 and 75 cents for additional passengers. The maximum trip distance is 3.5 miles.

Homewood’s pilot phase will run July 2026 through September 2027. In addition to showing the city how community members use the service, it also helps them learn:

• Where demand is the strongest
• How service can be refined
• When peak travel hours are

The initial phase is fully funded at about $792,000 through the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Projected annual costs are around $610,000 to $630,000 with up to three vehicles operating during set service hours.

“This pilot we will embark upon in July will give us 15 months of real data to make future transportation decisions.

“Micro-transit with Via and BJCTA has been successful in Birmingham and in Mountain Brook, and now we can see in real time how it impacts our community. We are thankful to the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham for funding this pilot program.”

Jennifer Andress, Homewood mayor

The service is popular with riders and has grown steadily since it started in Birmingham, according to a City of Homewood presentation. Some of the data points shared include:

• 4.9 out of 5 average rider rating
• 12.5 minute average wait time
• 57% of riders use service to get to work or school
• 33% of rides connect to hospitals, clinics + pharmacies

The proposed service hours are Monday through Friday from 5AM to 9PM and Saturday from 7AM to 8PM.

Riders can request trips through an app and get picked up nearby. Routes are designed in real time to keep trips efficient and wait times low.

To learn more, visit the MAX transit website or this Bham Now article explaining how the program works.