ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Albuquerque is waiving bus fares in honor of Rosa Parks’ birthday. Parks’ birthday is Thursday and in honor of her legacy, all fares for ABQ RIDE buses and Sun Vans from the start of service to the end of the service will be free. Then, fares will be back to normal on Friday.
“The legacy of Rosa Parks is key to this day because her act of resistance helped create a more just society, and she reminds us that everyone can make a difference with their day-to-day actions,” said Mayor Tim Keller in a news release. “On this day, we want to make public transportation accessible to everyone in our city and we encourage Burqueños to try out our buses.”
National Transit Equity Day honors Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. The city says organizers chose Parks’ birthday to make the connection between the Civil Rights Movement and people’s rights to public transportation.
“We know that in Albuquerque, African American and Native American workers are the most likely to rely on the City’s transit system, and that access to a vehicle is a challenge for lower-income families,” said Michelle Melendez in the same news release, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. “That is one reason why it is so fitting to recognize Rosa Parks’ birthday as Transit Equity Day. She knew that equitable access is necessary to gain full participation in all aspects of civic life – from education, to housing and jobs.”
The city says you can park your car to catch an ABQ RIDE from one of several Park and Rides in Albuquerque at the following locations:
- Central and Unser Transit Center, 7901 Central NW (at Unser)
- Uptown Transit Center, 2121 Indiana NE (near Coronado Center)
- Northwest Transit Center, 10401 Ellison NW
- Montaño Transit Center, 180 Montaño NW
