High Desert public transportation for free on Transit Equity Day, Rosa Parks birthday

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
Updated ·1 min read
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Nearly 70 years ago, Black seamstress Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.

The United States Congress honored her for her actions as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement.”

Transit Equity Day is celebrated worldwide on Feb. 4 to mark the birthday of Parks, who would have turned 111 this year.

On Transit Equity Day, Feb. 4, public transportation in San Bernardino County is free. The day is celebrates the birthday of Black civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
On Transit Equity Day, Feb. 4, public transportation in San Bernardino County is free. The day is celebrates the birthday of Black civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

Victor Valley Transit will celebrate Parks with free rides on Sunday, Feb. 4, and Monday, Feb. 5, on all its services, including fixed routes, county Routes, direct access, Route 15, commuter Lines, and Micro-Link.

Subscription Services are not included. Commuter and Micro-Link do not run on Sundays.

Other San Bernardino County’s local bus systems and Metrolink will be participating in a similar free ride offer, and only Feb. 4. They include:

  • Metrolink

  • Basin Transit

  • Mountain Transit

  • Needles Area Transit

  • Omnitrans

Transportation officials said public transit improves equity. It does so in that it:

  • Can take cars off the road, reduce car crashes and local pollution, all of which contribute to better health outcomes and improvements to affordable health care access.

  • Provides a student-friendly budget option for transportation to school. 

  • Boosts the economy by giving workers a ride to jobs and consumers rides to shopping and entertainment.

  • Betters the air by reducing emissions.

To learn more about riding fare-free, visit VVTA online or other transit agency social media platforms.

To learn more about Transit Equity Day, visit labor4sustainability.org. To learn more about Rosa Parks, visit history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: High Desert public transportation for free on Transit Equity Day