Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of a segregated public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on Dec. 1, 1955, triggering a wave of protests challenging racial segregation of Black Americans that pervaded the country, eventually resulting in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Regional Transportation District will celebrate Parks’ pivotal position in the civil rights movement with Zero-Fare for Transit Equity Day on Tuesday, Feb. 4. RTD’s Board of Directors authorized the implementation of this zero-fare day in 2025 – and on each Transit Equity Day thereafter – at its December, meeting.

Parks, 42 at the time, was a seamstress who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a privately owned bus belonging to the Montgomery City Lines public transit system. She was released on a $100 bond a short time later.

Her arrest fomented a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system by civil rights supporters. This led to a United States Supreme Court ruling in 1956 striking down segregation on public transportation.

“Equitable access to public transportation is a civil right afforded to all,” said General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson in a news release. “RTD’s services are more than a means to connect customers to work, school, healthcare and social destinations — they are the great societal equalizer, providing individuals with access to opportunities for the betterment of their lives. The agency exists to serve others, and the introduction of Zero Fare for Transit Equity Day reinforces its commitment to advance equity in every aspect of its work.”

“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,” according to the RTD release.

“RTD encourages customers to ride bus and rail services at no cost on Transit Equity Day in recognition of the progress made in transit equity, the Civil Rights Movement and as part of its mission to make lives better through connections.”