Transit Equity Day
In honor of Transit Equity Day, on Monday, February 5, Hampton Roads Transit will be providing free rides, available on all bus, light rail, ferry and paratransit services.
What is Transit Equity Day?
Transit Equity Day, Monday February 5, is a National Day of Action, celebrating the courageous acts of civil rights icon, Rosa Parks and highlighting the importance of equitable public transit. Citizens are encouraged to come out and to ride transit to show their support.
Rosa Parks and Transit Equity
On Thursday, December 1, 1955, Parks refused to give up her seat in the “colored” section of the bus to a white passenger after the “whites only” section became full. Park’s actions led to her arrest,resulting in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, inspiring other initiatives, and advancing the civil rights movement. In November 1956, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
ruled bus segregation unconstitutional, later ending the bus boycott.
When Parks’ memory is invoked, think also of Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old teenager who also lived in Montgomery and who also refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white woman on March 2, 1955. Claudette was dragged off a bus by police officers, handcuffed, and thrown in jail, for asserting her civil right to public transit.
Parks’ and Colvin’s right to travel on public transit was about more than just the seat. It was about the freedom to travel to work, school or play unconstrained by the biases of others. HRT stands in support of these concepts and embraces their memories as it works to provide public transit for all citizens. Learn more about Hampton Roads Transit’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitments.
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true,”
-Rosa Parks
Ways HRT Will Be Honoring Rosa Parks on Transit Equity Day:
Bus headlights will be left on all day, as a symbol of the light Rosa Parks brought to the world.
A seat will be reserved for Rosa Parks at the front of all buses with honorary signage.
Monday, February 5, 2024, at 11am, Hampton Roads Transit will be hosting a public celebration at the Hampton Transit Center, unveiling an official resolution to honor Rosa Parks the first Monday after her birthday, each February. This event is open to all.
Transit Equity Day is one of four free fare days offered this year, including Earth Day (April), Juneteenth (June), and Election Day (November). Hampton Roads residents are encouraged to join HRT and experience the convenience of public transit on us.