On the anniversary of an historic Civil Rights movement, Greater Richmond Transit Co. (GRTC) will pay special tribute to Rosa Parks on Friday, Dec.1. Photo: GRTC
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On the anniversary of an historic Civil Rights movement, Greater Richmond Transit Co. (GRTC) will pay special tribute to Rosa Parks on Friday, Dec.1. Photo: GRTC
On the anniversary of an historic Civil Rights movement, Greater Richmond Transit Co. (GRTC) will pay special tribute to Rosa Parks on Friday, Dec.1.
Parks is most well-known for her act of defiance on a Montgomery, Ala. bus on December 1, 1955 that changed the course of history. On that date, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and fined. Four days later, in response to Parks’ arrest, a year-long bus boycott began. It ended when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transportation was illegal.
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Parks, the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” will be honored by GRTC in a fitting tribute by reserving the first passenger seat on every GRTC bus on the anniversary, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Photo: GRTC
Parks, the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” will be honored by GRTC in a fitting tribute by reserving the first passenger seat on every GRTC bus on the anniversary, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Each of these seats will have a commemorative sign displayed on them, honoring both Parks’ legacy and her dedication to the Civil Rights Movement. Operators will keep bus headlights on all day to represent her light, and the bus electronic header signs will rotate with a special message honoring Rosa Parks.
Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Ala. She passed away at the age of 92 on Oct. 24, 2005 in Detroit, becoming the first woman in American history to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.