RTC marks Transit Equity Day, unveils special bus wrap celebrating 111^th birthday of Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks 

Event included free community resource fair for community

LAS VEGAS – Today, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), in conjunction with Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), marked Transit Equity Day and the 111^th birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks at the RTC’s Bonneville Transit Center in downtown Las Vegas.

The event highlighted the importance of accessible, affordable, and equitable transportation for all Southern Nevadans, while calling attention to disparities faced by marginalized communities relative to transportation access. It is part of a national initiative established six years ago by the Labor Network for Sustainability.

Coinciding with Parks’ 111^th birthday on Feb. 4, the event included the unveiling of a special bus wrapped with Parks’ image. The bus will be immediately incorporated into the RTC’s operating fleet, paying homage to Parks’ important role in our nation’s fight for equality and desegregation. Parks, who is best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, rejected the bus driver’s order to surrender her seat to a white person. Her defiance and resulting arrest for civil disobedience inspired a national anti-segregation, equal access movement.

“As we celebrate 31 years of public transit in Southern Nevada, we are committed to helping tens of thousands of residents daily get to work, to school and wherever they need to go,’ Clark County Commissioner and RTC Chairman Justin Jones. “Last year, the RTC provided more than 50 million transit rides, and I am especially proud of their record providing specialized services to marginalized populations, including veterans, seniors, students, and persons with disabilities.”

“One of the RTC’s top priorities is to ensure all members of our community, regardless of socio-economic status, have equal access to reliable transportation options,” said RTC CEO MJ Maynard.

“Celebrating the activism of Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is a big step toward transit equity in the region,” said Laura Martin, Executive Director, PLAN. “Transit equity is more than a seat on the bus. It is access to education and health care. It is connection to work and family. It is protection of the environment. Our leaders must continue to prioritize the accessibility of Southern Nevada through fully funded public transit for all.”

The RTC’s Transit Equity Day also included a free community resource fair where a variety of community partners provided information, resources, and free services such a vaccines, health and vision check-ups, resume building assistance, information on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and more.  Participating partners included the Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, Workforce Connections, Prevail Marketplace, Lions Club, and others.