MARTA honors King family legacy with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King bus

ATLANTA - The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has partnered up with The King Center to release a special bus honoring the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

Public transit played a significant role in the fight for social justice and equal rights. Most notably was the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks, a planned peaceful protest against inequality that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

For 13 months, the Black Montgomery community refused to ride the bus until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.

"Transit is a place where all are welcome, and like the Civil Rights movement, where inclusion and equality serve as the foundation for opportunity," said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. "MARTA is proud to have played a role in the rich history of the City of Atlanta and the Civil Rights movement and recognize the impact of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, and the road they traveled as they changed the world."

That movement was coordinated by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). Martin Luther King, Jr. was its president. He would go on to become a prolific leader and one of the most recognized names and faces of the civil rights movement.

To honor the fight that led to change, MARTA unveiled the Dr. King and Coretta Scott King bus at a press conference held at the King Center on Jan. 4.

It will service Route 3: MLK/Auburn Ave before moving onto different routes over the next four months as part of a year-long celebration of Atlanta Civil Rights leaders.

Throughout 2024, MARTA says it will continue to honor Civil Rights icons with specially designed buses like this one. The next honorees will be announced during February, Black History Month.

For more events and celebrations from the King Center, click here.