Unofficial Bama to BHM Transportation FAQ bamatobhm.com
Officially unofficial!!! No affiliation with UA
Information overload!
I'm sure I missed some....
First off, as a disclaimer, I am part of one of the transportation companies that do student transport from Bama to BHM. My name is Mike and I am one half of Cahaba Limousine Service LLC, however I’m a Bama parent first. As such, I see this topic come up A LOT in the parent groups and I wanted to take a moment to try to help some of our new parents navigate getting their students to and from school. BHM, or Birmingham Shuttlesworth is the closest commercial airport so I will focus on it. There are other options in the area but they have less transport options. As a second disclaimer… I’m not a website builder and this will probably be a work in progress if anyone has suggestions.
The university has no official shuttle to and from the airport. This task is done by private companies or the students themselves.
COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
-Shuttles: Shuttles are typically the cheapest commercial option. They range from 10 passenger to 70 passenger buses depending on the travel time and company. Like any bus, they run at set schedules and are not flexible to late flights or riders. They are a great option for many people and there are a few companies that run. Just keep in mind, they move a lot of people and cannot tailor to the individual
-Private or semi-private car: As private implies, you hire the entire car or van. It will just be however many are in your party and however many fit, typically in a sedan or SUV.
Semi-private is typically the same cars but will be small “ride share” set ups that will take up to a few students at a time to help keep costs down. They typically charge by the head rather than paying for an entire car....even though they may luck out and get the entire car to themselves.
These types should have more flexible schedules, able to adapt to late flights, and personal service. Typically available more often BUT the extra service comes at a price. They are more expensive than the shuttles.
-Uber/Lyft: Honestly I don’t think I need to say much about Uber and Lyft, yall are probably pretty familiar already. From what I’ve seen they are usually readily available and do go between Tuscaloosa and BHM. They are more expensive than shuttles and from what I’ve seen are more than some of the private cars. If you’re comfortable with them, they can be a good option, especially if you can split the cost with a couple riders. If your flight is late and you miss your planned ride, they could be your only option.
NON-COMMERCIAL OPTIONS
-Personal car: if your student has their own car on campus, parking has always been reasonable at BHM. The parking deck is literally across the street from the terminal and fairly priced. The economy lot is a block away and has a shuttle. There are remote private lots but I’ve never used them, the parent groups can tell you the better ones. For the record, the neighborhoods around the airport are not the best. The road to and from the highway is fine but typically most students avoid cutting through the neighborhoods, filling up on gas nearby, or staying at the hotels right by the airport.
-Friends with cars: hey, just like the friend with the truck gets to help move everyone, the college kid with the car gets to take their friends to and from the airport!
SHARING RIDES
This could fall under either category but I’ve seen it be SUPER helpful. There is a Facebook group called the University of Alabama Rideshare Group. It’s a group that the moderators work super hard on to keep it running smooth. It’s literally just a place to connect with other riders to be able to hitch a ride together. If you’re doing this with a commercial ride just be sure that it’s allowed. Shuttles and semi-private cars charge by person, not the car.
***SIDE GIGS OR UNLICENSED OPERATORS***
There are students or locals sometimes trying to make some side money, or possibly start a company. Sometimes there are companies that don’t have all the proper insurance or licenses unknowingly and sometimes they’re just cutting expenses. I can write a ton on this but will sum it up to this: if money is being charged for a ride, legally it is now a “car for hire”. EVERY personal car insurance policy has a clause excluding coverage if the car is being used as a “car for hire”. That means if there is an accident, very likely the student rider will be on the hook for their own medical bills! Can you sue the driver? Can you get health insurance to pay? Those are questions for Alexander Shunnarah, all the personal injury billboards aren’t there because accidents don’t happen, best to just hire a properly insured company, or at least know what you're paying for.
HOW DO WE KNOW IF THEY ARE INSURED PROPERLY?
I am going to focus on the insurance part because, in my opinion, improper insurance doesn’t carry as much risk as missing licenses. There are a lot of licenses and permits for us from city, to state, and even federal because transportation TO the airport means we are a leg of INTERSTATE transport but the biggest thing to riders is PROPER INSURANCE. I believe the best way to ensure the company has that is their Tuscaloosa Permit.
Tuscaloosa Police Department along with the Revenue Department issue a taxi permit and business license together. Companies CANNOT get these if they do not carry the proper commercial insurance, get vehicle safety inspections annually, and pass a driver background check. Private or semi-private cars will also not be issued this without a TAXI TAG (that’s a license plate to you out of staters). If your car for hire shows up and doesn’t have a taxi tag, they don’t have their Tuscaloosa permit… do they have proper insurance? Look for their taxi permit sticker. Small red square sticker that says “City of Tuscaloosa Taxi Permit”. If TPD issued them this, then they are on the up and up. You may have to ask about it though, TPD doesn’t always require it to be displayed, but they do require the sticker to be carried IN the car!
If in doubt, you can always call the Tuscaloosa Revenue Department. I’ve also tried to start to compile a list of licensed operators below.
Tuscaloosa taxi permit holders
First off, I’m going to say I am positive this list is incomplete! I started compiling this list in May of 2025. I searched through recommendations and people advertising their service in the various Facebook parent groups. I then checked with Tuscaloosa PD to see if they were issued a Tuscaloosa Taxi Permit. If they have no Tuscaloosa permit, I didn’t add them to the list. It’s the best way I can think of to ensure background checks, and commercial insurance. I do not know prices charged or availability of services. For now I am also not breaking them down into types of services. I will just list them in alphabetical order.
Tuscaloosa Permit holders as of May 2025 that I am aware of:
If you're on facebook, I highly recommend searching their names in the parent groups!
-5 Star Transport
205-764-4591
-Cahaba Limousine Service LLC
205-427-6421 www.bhamlimos.com
-Crown Transportation
205-758-3875 www.crowndriven.com
-DriveU / Denise Payne Richey
205-765-8444
-Groome Transportation (shuttles)
205-719-0469 www.groometransportation.com
-Keys Party and Luxury Transportation
205-561-7672
-Local Mommas
205-657-0679
-Prestige Limousine
205-333-9879 www.prestigelimotuscaloosa.com
-Skinners Transportation
205-614-9361
-Taxi King
205-887-3798
I did my best to make this an FAQ and not an advertisement but I am also not going to hide who I am. I am the father of 2 legends in the making at Bama and with their wonderful mama, Ms Emily, own and operate Cahaba Limousine Service LLC. E-mail me at info@cahabalimos.com with any questions, corrections, or requests to be on the list.
Also, if you are not on the list and you need help navigating the wonderful world of car for hire licenses, you can also feel free to contact me. I’d be more than happy to help get you in touch with the proper people.
There are over 40,000 students registered at UA with almost 60 percent being out of state. You can guess how many students need rides at the breaks! All of us transport companies are more like team mates than competition!!! It takes ALL of us to get it done!
I used a free website host so it's a big long web address above but bamatobhm.com will get you here