The city of Birmingham, Ala., expanded its tech-enabled shared ride service, Birmingham On-Demand, to include 19 new neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city on Nov. 7. To incentivize community members to try the East Side zone, new riders will automatically get 10 free rides through the end of the year.
Birmingham On-Demand is a flexible public transit service that has served more than 130,000 riders in the original downtown zone since its launch in February 2019. As a result of its success, the city is launching a new East Side zone, which now serves the following neighborhoods:
- Huffman
- Roebuck
- Roebuck Springs
- South Roebuck
- Zion City
- North East Lake
- South East Lake
- Wahouma
- Woodlawn
- South Woodlawn
- Gate City
- Airport Highlands
- Brownsville Heights
- Pine Knoll Vista
- Echo Highlands
- Penfield Park
- Maple Grove
- Killough Springs
- Spring Lake
Birmingham On-Demand allows anyone within its coverage zones to book a shared ride at a moment’s notice through an app (available in the App Store and Google Play) or by calling 205.236.0768. It uses innovative technology from Via to match riders headed in the same direction into one vehicle, creating efficient shared trips that complement the city’s fixed-route transit options. Rides cost a flat fee of $1.50.
The new East Side Zone neighborhoods were based on an analysis of demographic data and transit needs to determine the areas where equitable, accessible mobility will make the greatest impact. In the original zone, 50 percent of riders reported their annual household income as less than $25,000, 66 percent do not have a personal car and most use the service to get to essential destinations like work, grocery stores and medical facilities.
