The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved a $14 million agreement with the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority despite one councilor’s stark criticism of the agency. 

“I have a fundamental issue at putting more and more money into a system that is not providing our citizens a reliable transit option — especially in my district,” Councilor Hunter Williams said. “I have a real interest in seeing that people can get to doctors appointments, jobs, grocery stores or wherever the hell they want to go that do not have the ability, for either a financial reason or health reason, to own and drive a car. And so as we have increased funding to the BJCTA, the service in my district has gone down and down and down.”

Williams pointed to a 58% on-time performance given in a presentation of the authority’s 70-30 plan to the council in June. Charlotte Shaw, executive director of BJCTA, told the council that the statistic Williams quoted was an older number, and the agency’s current rate is 75%. 

The city has invested $14 million annually in the BJCTA since 2023, when it increased from $10 million.

Williams also asked when the authority plans to launch its app, which was talked about two years ago. Shaw said that the app is slated to go live in January. Such apps must go through a series of steps before they can launch, which can take between two to three years. 

“That is the craziest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. … So, we’re moving real slow with more money,” Williams said. 

Several council members asked about the potential for routes going away in their districts. Shaw said that though there will be re-allocation of some routes, she’s not aware of any routes ceasing. 

“I’m not sure what those reallocations are, but I have team members who can reach out to you directly to make sure that you understand what those reallocations are going to be,” Shaw said. 

She added that the authority is required by federal regulations to provide 60 days notice to the public for any service changes in the area. 

Williams also asked Shaw to confirm that none of the $14 million discussed Tuesday would go toward a potential BJCTA service that would offer on-demand ride sharing for standard market prices, similar to those offered by Uber and Lyft. 

“Absolutely not,” she told him. 

Councilor LaTonya Tate said she appreciates the hard work from Shaw and the authority, especially considering the state offers zero funding toward public transit. 

“I want to thank you for what you’re doing, and let’s think about how we can rally behind what you all are doing to get more funding and more funding sources to increase the footprint of public transit,” Tate said. “I would love to see that happen here.”

In other business, the council approved giving $15,797 to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama to address food insecurity in the area.

Funding for this effort will come from the discretionary funds of Councilor Carol Clarke, in the amount of $10,000, and Crystal Smitherman, in the amount of $5,797.

“Building equity in our community, especially as it relates to food insecurity, must start with ensuring healthy, affordable food options for residents that live in one of Birmingham’s designated food deserts. And there are many,” Smitherman said. “In addition to recruiting grocery stores and other retailers that offer healthy food options, we are trying to get creative with how our communities can access fresh, healthy food. I’m honored to be able to partner with this organization who is doing incredible work in our community to feed those who are in need.”