HAMPTON, Va. — When you're a rider of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), the typical day-to-day routine is often characterized by the place you're going to. Your commute to and from work, or maybe a trip to the grocery store.
But Feb. 5 was not like any other day on the HRT. It offered a rare opportunity for riders to reflect on the past instead of thinking ahead to the future.
HRT commemorated and dedicated the first Monday of February as Transit Equity Day, honoring the landmark moment of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.
For Transit Equity Day, HRT offered free ride fares across all of the agency's modes of transportation and left a seat open on each bus — roughly 100 overall — to honor Parks.
"We can see just how far we've come," said William Harrell, the president and CEO of HRT.
HRT held the honorary day one day after Parks' birthday on Feb. 4.
"[Transit Equity Day] encourages the accomplishments of this great woman," Hampton Vice Mayor Jimmy Gray.
According to HRT officials, last year's Transit Equity Day saw a ridership of more than 19,000 people, not including Paratransit services, at an estimated potential revenue of $20,999.
Including Paratransit ridership, the fares canceled totaled approximately $25,000.