Hampton Roads Transit is providing free rides on Friday to celebrate Rosa Parks’ legacy. Could it ever happen year-round?

Hampton Roads Transit is honoring civil rights trailblazer Rosa Parks’ legacy Friday by providing free bus, light rail, ferry, microtransit, and paratransit services.

Friday is Transit Equity Day — a day to commemorate the importance of investing in public transit for the benefit of all citizens and to recognize Parks for “her courageous act to help make public transit more equitable for all,” said transit agency spokesperson Alexis Majied.

Improving equitable access to public transportation is an idea that’s taken hold in other cities, with some — including Washington, Kansas City and Alexandria — going as far as to do away with rider fees altogether. Supporters say adopting free fares helps the poor, ends fare evasion and boosts ridership — not to mention limiting vehicle emissions and helping the local economy in other ways.

But could permanent free rides happen in Hampton Roads?

Transit officials say that isn’t in the works. Instead, HRT is focused on improving transit equity by increasing service frequency on key routes. But the transit agency has embraced the idea in other ways.

Majied says Transit Equity Day is one of four days the board decided to make fare-free — the others are Election Day, Juneteenth and Earth Day. HRT rides typically cost $2-4.

HRT also offers two free routes on base at Naval Station Norfolk. Tom Holden, an HRT spokesperson, said those are funded through grants. The program will last three years.

Free fares are only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to equal access. Some transit experts say they are not as helpful when bus service isn’t frequent or reliable enough.

“Our surveys have shown that customers don’t really mind paying $2 to ride the bus or train, as long as it’s there for them,” Holden said.

To that end, HRT has focused on providing more frequent service via the 757 Express. The first express route was in October; it offers service every 15 minutes during rush hour along Route 112 in Newport News. The transit agency is looking to expand that service.

“We want to build a core network of about 13 routes in Hampton Roads, serving every city with a 15 minute service frequency during the major rush hours,” Holden said. “We know that our customers want that. Our surveys over the years have been abundantly clear on that.”

HRT has been buying new buses and building new bus shelters to support the routes.

“As we get more operators, we will begin to have more routes,” Holden said. He didn’t offer a specific timeline for when those additional stops will be available.

On Friday, HRT buses will have their lights on all day to symbolize “the light Rosa Parks brought to our world.” Each HRT bus will also reserve a front seat marked by a small sign to honor Parks and her act of courage.

In 1955, Parks refused the order of a white driver to leave her seat in the “colored” section of a Montgomery, Alabama, bus once the “white” area was full — leading to her arrest. Her actions helped inspire the Black community to boycott Montgomery buses for over a year to challenge the city’s segregation laws.

After a protest lasting 381 days, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in November 1956 that bus segregation was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“Equity also starts with providing clean bus shelters, better technology, and reliable bus service to each customer we serve,” said transit authority CEO and President William Harrell in a statement. “We remain vigilant in our work with stakeholders and funding partners to provide regional service that provides better reliability, faster commutes, and new connections.”

While typically celebrated Feb. 4 — Parks’ birthday — Majied said HRT is celebrating on Friday since there is a greater need for public transportation on weekdays.

“Reliable public transportation is necessary because transit impacts so many areas of our lives,” Majied said. “So obviously, a large majority of the trips taken on public transit are to and from work... But [public transportation] also helps people to afford housing and healthy food and being able to get to appointments and healthcare.”

While segregated busing may no longer exist, access to safe and reliable transportation is by no means equal. In 2016, the lowest earning 20% of the population spent an average of 29% of their income on transportation — while the average American spent 13% on transportation.

“The more you look into people like Parks or Claudette Colvin, the more you realize the close association that transit has with the struggle for civil rights,” Holden said.

Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com, Cianna Morales, cianna.morales@virginiamedia.com