RTD to offer Zero Fare for Transit Equity Day on Feb. 4

DENVER (Jan. 24, 2025)––TheRegional Transportation District(RTD)will offer Zero Fare for Transit Equity Day on Feb. 4 – a day that observes the contributions of civil rights leader Rosa Parks. By refusing to give up her seat and move to the back of a segregated bus on Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks helped galvanize the civi lrights movement and launch transit equity. Her action spurred the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a peaceful protest that challenged racial segregation for Black Americans in public spaces, including on transit.

“Equitable access to public transportation is a civil right afforded to all,” said General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson. “RTD’s services are more than a means to connect customers to work, school, healthcare and social destinations – they are the great societal equalizer, providing individuals with access to opportunities for their betterment of their lives. The agency exists to serve others, and the introduction of Zero Fare for Transit Equity Day reinforces its commitment to advance equity in every aspect of its work.”

RTD’s Board of Directors authorized the implementation of this zero-fare day in 2025 – and on each Transit Equity Day thereafter – at its Dec. 3, 2024, meeting.

Transit Equity Day is observed on Parks’ birthday, Feb. 4, and was first celebrated nationally by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2021. The day recognizes that equal access to public transportation is a civil right and a means for individuals to connect to employment, educational, healthcare and social opportunities. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional on Nov. 13, 1956, which ended the Montgomery Bus Boycott on Dec. 20, 1956.

RTD encourages customers to ride bus and rail services at no cost on Transit Equity Day in recognition of the progress made in transit equity, the Civil Rights Movement and as part of its mission to make lives better through connections.