A few weeks after she started relying on Birmingham’s public transit system, Marva Douglas said she nearly missed doctor’s appointments, Sunday church services, and showing up to work on time.

“People who are unable to travel or who don’t have access to an automobile don’t have a life,” Douglas said, referencing how car dependent Birmingham’s infrastructure currently is.

“You can’t get to church on Sunday, because there are no Sunday buses. You can’t get to one of the seven colleges that we have here in the Jefferson County area. You can’t reliably count on the buses to get you to your job on time or doctor’s appointments. Our students, our children cannot go and visit the zoo or go to the museums or just go to the movies or shopping centers. None of these things. You just don’t have a life without transport public transportation.”

Nearly 2 million riders depend on the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA)’s 70 fixed route buses each year to get them where they need to go according to Bham Wiki.

The 7.2% of Jefferson County residents without a vehicle (just under 48,000 people according to 2022 Census estimates) are entirely dependent on these services if they don’t have pickup arrangements with friends or family or if they can’t afford to pay for car service.