Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

EMBARK Celebrates Rosa Parks Day

Feb. 4 Marks Civil Rights Heroine’s Birthday, Transit Equity Day 

January 31, 2022

In celebration of Rosa Parks Day, EMBARK will offer a fare-free day on Friday, Feb. 4 for fixed-route bus, zone 1 and zone 1a ADA paratransit, and streetcar service. While the day marks Rosa Parks’ birth in 1913, February 4 is also celebrated in the transit industry as Transit Equity Day. On Transit Equity Day, EMBARK celebrates its continued commitment to fair and equitable transit services and the birthday of Rosa Parks, an American hero.

Rosa Parks is best known for her refusal in 1955 to give up her seat on a public transportation bus in Montgomery, Alabama, defying the segregation laws in place in the state. Her resistance led to a boycott of the Montgomery bus system and was a pivotal moment in the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and the desegregation of public transit.

“Our vision is to be world-class transportation that is accessible to all which requires taking Mrs. Parks’ legacy to heart. Through the OKC Moves transit plan, we are creating fair and equitable transit services and experiences for all residents in central Oklahoma.”  said Jason Ferbrache, EMBARK Administrator

Over the past few years, EMBARK has worked to expand transit service and increase equity in central Oklahoma by:

  • Continued customer, community, and stakeholder surveys that guide the development of transit improvements
  • Offering multiple mobile apps, allowing customers to purchase and keep bus passes on their phone and offering real-time bus arrivals, respectively.
  • Expanding EMBARK’s social service programs, which are dedicated to partnering with community organizations to ensure transportation programs meet the needs of our community, including seniors or individuals with disabilities who are not functionally able to ride fixed-route bus service.
  • Adding the downtown OKC Streetcar service that includes level onboarding, accessible platforms
  • The announcement of RAPID, EMBARK’s new Bus Rapid Transit service that plans to begin operation in late 2023
  • Maintaining its current bus routes limiting disruptions to essential services during the continued pandemic.
  • Providing scheduled free fare days including all elections within the EMBARK service area
  • Providing free transportation for high school juniors and seniors through its Haul Pass Program.
  • Providing free field trip transportation for educational purposes through its Road Scholars Program.
  • Conducting biannual ½ price pass sales to help lessen the impact of fare as a barrier for using public transit. 

Related Content

Review Free Fare Days See Fares & Buy Passes
Tags

Holiday, Free Fare, Free, DBE

In the News

Newsletter Signup