SAN ANTONIO – VIA Metropolitan Transit is honoring civil rights icon Rosa Parks on Wednesday by offering fare-free service and having drivers shine their headlights throughout the day.
VIA joins transit agencies and cities across the U.S. for Rosa Parks Day, which VIA is observing on Wednesday since Dec. 1 fell on a Sunday this year.
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Parks was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her bus seat to make room for a white passenger. This inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to organize a successful monthslong bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, to desegregate U.S. public transportation.
“The VIA Board of Trustees approved a resolution in 2019 to observe and commemorate Parks’ contributions and the role of transit in the American Civil Rights movement each December,” a news release said.
VIA also launched the Rosa Parks Seat Program in 2005 to educate and engage riders on Parks' history and contributions. The transit agency added an embroidered bright yellow seat dedicated to Parks’ memory in the front portion of its 500-plus buses.
The fare-free VIA services are available on all bus, VIAtrans, and VIA Link trips. However, VIAtrans customers must book their trips in advance.
For more information, riders can access the VIAinfo.net online trip planner, the goMobile+, or the Go Line at (210) 362-2020.
