Why Rent a Bus in Birmingham?
Birmingham’s residents rely heavily on cars, but carpooling isn’t the right choice for every group. If you have a limited number of people who can drive or are willing to, you’ll need to consider other ways to get around Birmingham. Here are a few transportation methods you can choose from:
- MAX Transit: Birmingham’s public buses cost just $1.50 per ride for adults, and there are roughly 20 routes that cover most of the city. However, you’ll have to travel on the bus’s schedule, not your own, and you’ll also have to make sure there’s a bus stop near all of your destinations.
- Taxis and rideshares: If a bus isn’t coming for a long time or there aren’t bus stops near you, a taxi or rideshare offers a fast, convenient way to get exactly where you’re going. But car services can be expensive, and you’ll have to split your group into multiple vehicles, raising the cost even more.
- Charter buses: With a charter bus you can keep your entire group together and set your own itinerary without worrying about public transit schedules. You’ll also find out how much your bus will cost ahead of time, so you won’t be caught off guard by the price.
Comparing Birmingham Group Transportation
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Shofur
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MAX Transit
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Taxi
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Rideshare
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Private
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✓
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x
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x
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x
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Personal, professional driver
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✓
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x
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✓
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x
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Curbside drop-off
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✓
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x
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✓
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✓
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On-board climate controls
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✓
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x
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✓
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✓
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On-board entertainment
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✓
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x
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x
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x
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Nationwide access
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✓
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x
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x
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x
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Tailored to your schedule
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✓
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x
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x
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x
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One vehicle for your entire group
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✓
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✓
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x
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x
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1-800-436-8719 Call Our 24/7 Team to Rent a Charter Bus Today
Civil Rights National Monument in Birmingham
No group should visit Birmingham without stopping at the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The Monument spans four city blocks in downtown Birmingham, and its focal point is the Civil Rights Institute. This museum contains a recreation of a segregated 1950s city, a replica of a Freedom Riders bus, documents, oral histories, and the door to the jail cell where Dr. King wrote Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
Near the Institute, you’ll find the A.G. Gaston Motel, the place Dr. King stayed while working on the Birmingham campaign. You can also pay your respects at 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the horrific white supremacist bombing that killed four young Black girls, and at Kelly Ingram Park, once the site where peaceful protestors were attacked by police dogs and water cannons. Today, Kelly Ingram is a serene public park filled with sculptures of the fight for civil rights in Birmingham.
Civil Rights National Monument in Birmingham
Address: 1510 5th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Charter bus parking: Street parking is available near the monument, and when services aren’t in session, parking is also available at 16th Street Baptist Church.
Weddings in Birmingham
Planning to get married in Birmingham? The city offers a variety of award-winning wedding venues, like the industrial-chic Iron City Bham and the rural Barn at Bennett Flats. Iron City was built in 1929 and features exposed brick walls, dark wooden floors, and in-house chefs for an elegant ceremony or reception. The Barn, by contrast, consists of a rustic barn on a 300-acre farm that overlooks the Tallapoosa River.
Whether you book one of these spots or another beautiful venue in Birmingham, you’ll need transportation to help your wedding guests get around. Shofur can provide charter buses with reclining seats, air-conditioning, and WiFi so your loved ones can relax on their way to and from your venue.
The Barn at Bennett Flats
Address: 2795 AL-9, Heflin, AL 36264
Charter bus parking: The venue provides ample on-site parking for buses.
Iron City Bham
Address: 513 22nd Street S, Birmingham, AL 35233
Charter bus parking: Iron City is surrounded by several parking lots: the Workplay “backstage” lot to the left of Iron City Grill (available on non-show days), the Iron City Grill lot, the Courtney’s lot, and the Tool Solutions lot (available after 5 p.m.) Street parking is also available.
1-800-436-8719 Call Us Today to Charter a Coachbus, Minibus, or Shuttle
Corporate Events in Birmingham
As the largest city in Alabama, Birmingham frequently hosts conferences, trade shows, and seminars. Many of these events take place at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, which has exhibition halls, a concert hall, and even restaurants and a coffee bar for visitors to enjoy.
Shofur can provide a reliable charter bus rental to take you from your hotel to the convention center each morning. Attending an event at a downtown venue, like the Sidewalk Film Center? We can help you find a shuttle and professional driver so you don’t have to worry about navigating traffic or finding parking for multiple vehicles on Birmingham’s crowded streets.
Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
Address: 1 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Charter bus parking: The Convention Complex is surrounded by multiple parking lots, including lots that can accommodate oversize vehicles.
Sidewalk Film Center
Address: 1821 2nd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Charter bus parking: The film center lies inside the Pizitz building, which has its own parking deck. If your bus cannot fit there, metered street parking is available—just make sure you bring change. The metered parking is free on evenings and weekends but not during the day.
Field Trips in Birmingham
If you’re a teacher or running a home-school pod, you can give Shofur a call to find safe, reliable transportation for your next field trip. Birmingham boasts several great educational destinations, like its 50-ton cast-iron statue of Vulcan, the god of metalworking.
The statue symbolizes the importance of the iron and steel industries in Birmingham and overlooks a 10-acre public park. During your visit to the park, your students can climb to the top of the Observation Tower or explore the rotating historical exhibits at the Vulcan Center to learn more about how metalworking has shaped the city’s history.
Birmingham is also home to the beloved McWane Science Center, which features an IMAX dome and 9,000 square feet of educational activities. Let your students explore “Itty Bitty Magic City,” an entire interactive city for kids, or the Adventure Halls, which are packed with exhibits like “Basketball: the Science of Swish,” “Bubble Room,” “Sea Monsters,” and “Alabama Dinosaurs.” You can request a field trip reservation online and then give Shofur a call to book your bus.
Vulcan Park & Museum
Address: 1701 Valley View Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209
Charter bus parking: Vulcan Park offers free parking and has designated spaces for tour buses.
McWane Science Center
Address: 3117 19th Street N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Charter bus parking: Buses should unload on 2nd Avenue North or on 19th Street North if 2nd Avenue is full. After you finish unloading, employees from McWane Science Center will escort your bus driver to a remote parking lot and provide shuttle service for your driver to and from the center.
College Tours in Birmingham
Many people come to Birmingham to explore the city’s wide range of universities. The city’s biggest college, the University of Alabama - Birmingham, welcomes 20,000 students each year and is well known for its nursing, education, and public health programs. Birmingham also has several private Christian universities, like Birmingham-Southern College and Samford University.
A charter bus offers one of the most comfortable ways to visit multiple college campuses. You don’t have to force your students to drive themselves, and they can use optional amenities like free WiFi and power outlets to keep up with homework in between tours.
University of Alabama - Birmingham
Address: 1720 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35294
Charter bus parking: Bus parking is available in zone E-1, on 11th Street South between University Boulevard and 6th Avenue. Contact the UAB Transportation office at 205-934-3513 to reserve a space for your bus.
Birmingham-Southern College
Address: 900 Arkadelphia Rd, Birmingham, AL 35254
Charter bus parking: You can request information about parking a bus when you register for a visit.
Samford University
Address: 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229
Charter bus parking: Samford has visitor parking, but you’ll need to request a parking pass from Office 303 in Seibert Hall.
Discover All Birmingham Has to Offer
Whether you want to see the Vulcan statue, attend a film festival, or learn about the Civil Rights Movement, Shofur can help your group hit every destination on your Birmingham itinerary. Give us a call at 1-800-436-8719 to book a comfortable bus before your group heads to Alabama’s largest city.
Prices for Charter Buses and Minibuses in Birmingham
Vehicles |
Passengers |
Luggage |
Hourly |
Min Hrs |
CHARTER BUS
|
57 |
55 |
$110 - $170
|
5 |
MINI BUS
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25 |
7 |
$105 - $160
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5 |