Augusta celebrates Transit Equity Day

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta celebrated Transit Fairness Day on Saturday, marking the birthday of civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who would have turned 110 this 12 months.

Augusta at the moment operates on 9 bus routes and other people say it’s not sufficient. Saturday celebrated the change Rosa Parks introduced change to the bus programs, change for entry that persons are nonetheless calling for.

“I got here out to trip the bus for Miss Rosa Parks,” Deborah Stitt mentioned.

The work of Rosa Parks created change in bus programs throughout the nation.

“If individuals can’t get to the place they must be, they endure and with them, the entire group,” Pat Lynch-Hayes mentioned.

An entire group that’s nonetheless calling for change.

“It’s simply a lot broader than simply getting from level A to level B,” Lynch-Hayes mentioned.

Getting from level A to level B will be troublesome, particularly for somebody depending on the bus system, like Deborah Stitt.

“What’s the aim of driving the bus if the bus is just not going to take you to and from the place you’re making an attempt to get to,” Stitt mentioned.

It’s a query she is continually on the lookout for a solution to.

“If they will simply have the buses working in order that we will be comfy driving a bus and  getting on a bus,” Stitt mentioned.

Issues within the transit system are catching the eye of the individuals in cost.

“We’ve got an outdated growing older fleet, we’re shortly making an attempt to improve our fleet, we gained a $6.2 million grant to buy electrical buses,” Dr. Oliver Web page, Deputy Director of Augusta Transit, mentioned. “However these will probably be on stream possibly in 2024 or 2025.”

Till then, a modern-day civil rights battle continues.

“Transit fairness signifies that everybody who has entry to transit, and everybody ought to be afforded the identical degree of service after they use transit,” Web page mentioned.

Dr. Web page mentioned six new diesel buses from a earlier grant are coming this spring.

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