Colorado's RTD offers free transit to everyone Tuesday for Transit Equity Day, in remembrance of Rosa Parks
The Regional Transportation District, also known as RTD, is providing free transit for everyone in the Denver metro area on Tuesday in remembrance of Civil Rights Leader Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and moved to the back of a segregated bus on Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama.
Her action helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement and launch transit equity. RTD and local leaders met in City Park to discuss the importance of Transit Equity Day on Monday.
"Regardless of religion or sexual orientation, civil rights are human rights and we are all human and perfectly perfect the way we were intended to be," said Debra A. Johnson, RTD General Manager and CEO.
"We need to understand past events to make a meaningful difference," said Julien Bouquet, RTD Board Chair, District G.
RTD chose to make the announcement in Denver's City Park at the "I Have A Dream" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue. This park also features a statue of Rosa Parks. RTD says the bus commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The day recognizes that equal access to public transportation is a civil right.
Transit Equity Day is observed on Parks' birthday, Feb. 4, and was first celebrated nationally by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2021. The day recognizes that equal access to public transportation is a civil right and a means for individuals to connect to employment, educational, healthcare and social opportunities. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional on Nov. 13, 1956, which ended the Montgomery Bus Boycott on Dec. 20, 1956.
The free rides are for anyone riding RTD bus and rail all day on Tuesday.
