In partnership with the King Center, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) unveiled a special bus honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. The bus will begin service on Route 3: MLK/Auburn Ave. and move to different routes over the next four months. This is the first of several special bus designs planned as MARTA launches a yearlong celebration of Atlanta Civil Rights leaders.

Public transit has long played a role in the fight for equal rights. The arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott that would bring Dr. King to national prominence. Dr. King would go on to call urban public transportation “a genuine civil rights issue” because of its critically important role in connecting its riders to opportunities for employment. 

“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.”

MARTA leadership understands that the work of addressing racial disparity begins within the walls of the Authority and strives to employ a workforce that reflects the diversity of its ridership and the region. MARTA is a majority-minority employer, with over 90 percent of staff identifying as a race other than white, including its GM/CEO and members of the executive leadership team. In addition, MARTA has developed business practices that align with an ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, such as launching a multi-year initiative to increase participation of its largest vendors in Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) programs, creating a more level playing field on which minority-owned firms can compete for MARTA contracts.

As MARTA undergoes a major rehabilitation and expansion program, equity and accessibility are at the forefront of every decision to ensure bus and rail service, transit-oriented development, and customer amenities best reflect and serve our diverse region. 

MARTA officially unveiled the Dr. King and Coretta Scott King bus at a press conference held at the King Center on Tuesday, Jan. 4.  

On Jan. 9, a reception will be held at the Center to officially kick off a month of MLK holiday events and activities. To get involved visit King Holiday 2024 - The King Center.  

As it has done in years past, MARTA will stage its 1955 historical bus directly across from the King Birth Home located at 501 Auburn Ave. on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Monday, Jan. 15. 

Throughout 2024, MARTA will continue to honor Civil Rights icons and their role in our history with specially designed buses, with upcoming honorees announced during Black History Month.