To commemorate the birthday of the civil rights icon, TriMet will not collect fares on Tuesday, Feb. 4
TriMet will not collect fares on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 — on what would have been the 112th birthday of civil rights legend Rosa Parks.
It’s the fifth straight year that TriMet will celebrate the life and heroism of Rosa Parks by not collecting fares on our buses, trains and LIFT paratransit vehicles for the day. Our transit partners, C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar, also won’t ask for fare on Feb. 4, in support of transit equity.
“Rosa Parks is an inspiration to me,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. “Seventy years ago, she had the courage to defy injustice and segregation. By keeping her seat, she took a stand. As the first Black person to serve as TriMet General Manager, my life has been shaped by Rosa’s legacy, and I’m proud to say that on TriMet, all are welcome. Please, join us, and ride with Rosa!”
On Feb. 4, there’s no need to buy a ticket or tap your Hop card – just come on board!
Honoring Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is an important figure in the history of transit, as well as in the civil rights movement. In December 1955, she courageously refused to give up her seat on a bus in segregated Montgomery, Alabama. Parks was arrested and fined for her act of civil disobedience, and the incident inspired a federal lawsuit that led to the desegregation of all public transportation in the United States.
Today, a major thoroughfare and an elementary school in North Portland bear Rosa Parks’ name, and she is widely celebrated as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” TriMet renamed our Portland Avenue MAX Yellow Line Station for Rosa Parks in 2009, and in 2020, our Board of Directors passed a resolution declaring Feb. 4 as Rosa Parks Day.
This annual day of remembrance also acknowledges the role of transit in our community. Rosa Parks believed all should be welcome on transit, and no one should be treated differently because of the color of their skin. Accessibility and equity are key values for TriMet, and all are welcome on our buses and trains. We are proud to celebrate her legacy on Rosa Parks Day every year.
