Celebrating Juneteenth

In celebration of Juneteenth, Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) will offer free fare on all bus, light rail, ferry, and paratransit services. This HRT tradition – now in its fifth year and predating Juneteenth as a state and federal holiday – honors the longest-running African American holiday with free-fare access to HRT’s comprehensive transit solutions throughout Hampton Roads.

About Juneteenth

June 19, 1865, also known as Juneteenth, marks the date in history when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the freedom of 250,000 enslaved people. Two years earlier, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which established the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate states. The first reading of this Proclamation in the South was conducted under Emancipation Oak, located at what is now Hampton University. However, not all enslaved people knew they were freed. When the war ended in 1865, General Gordon Granger’s’ ’arrival in Galveston marked freedom for the remaining enslaved people. A year later, the tradition of a celebration of freedom was created as “Jubilee Day”, now known as Juneteenth. This marks the first time in our country’s history when all people were free.

Join HRT in Celebrating Juneteenth

Ride: Ride free Wednesday, June 19 on all transit modes.

Listen: Listen to HRT’s “Celebrating Freedom Day” Spotify playlist on your next commute.

Interact: Take photos with one of HRT’s Juneteenth Photo Backdrops located at Downtown Norfolk, Hampton, and Newport News Transit Centers.