Transit Equity Day is this Monday, February 5!

Established by the Labor Network for Sustainability, this event is celebrated annually on the birthday of Rosa Parks, a key figure in sparking the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955. Parks’ refusal to give up her seat, alongside the collective resistance of many Montgomery residents, led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring segregated buses unconstitutional. This victory was a crucial step forward for Black and brown communities, who had been fighting, not just for seats on the bus, but for dignity and equality.

This year, it’s also an opportunity to raise your voice in support of a bill to strengthen transit around the country.

The Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act, authored by Georgia’s own Representative Hank Johnson (Dist. 4), would help address the fiscal cliff many transit agencies face and fix the patchwork of uneven and unreliable public transit services that leaves too many people behind. It’s a game-changer. 

Currently, there is no national program to support transit operations. Because of that, the United States sees wild disparities from region to region and from city to city. Representative Johnson’s bill will help fix that. Here’s how:

• Creating a new formula grant program available to all transit agencies to increase service frequency so that people don’t have to wait as long for buses
• Providing additional hours of service so that people who don’t work white-collar hours can still get to their jobs
• Adding new, frequent service to underserved communities

For decades, the federal government has supported the cost of operating aviation and shipping. It’s high time that transit – which is equally essential to get people to places like jobs and schools – receive similar support. 

Here at home, bus service frequency, reliability, and affordability are top concerns expressed by Atlanta residents – and they’re areas we’re intently focused on in our advocacy work. Imagine what a difference federal support could make to transform our transit landscape. 

Join Propel ATL as we endorse the Labor Network for Sustainability’s Transit Justice Principles in support of better transit operations around the country and here in Atlanta.

By participating, we honor the legacy of Rosa Parks and all those who stood with her by working toward a more equitable and sustainable future in public transportation.