Public transit users and advocates will convene to celebrate the legacy of Rosa Parks and discuss their hopes for Memphis’ transit system.
Better Transit For A Better Memphis will host Transit Equity Day on Saturday, February 7 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Orange Mound Community Center located at 2590 Park Ave. Registration for the event opens at 9:45 a.m.
“Public transit is important because it is the pulse of the city,” Dorothy Conner, organizer for Better Transit For a Better Memphis, said. “Transit Equity Day creates space for riders to be heard and for community members and decision-makers to engage in constructive, solutions-focused dialogue.”
Participants will celebrate the theme “We Organize. We Ride. We Rise.”, and the contributions of Parks. There will also be discussions centering the experiences of daily transit riders. The event will have ASL interpretations and ADA-accessible seating.
Allison Donald, another organizer for the event has been reliant on public transit, specifically the paratransit service from the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA.) Donald relies on MATAPlus, the rideshare program for riders with disabilities, for work and social activities.
As someone dependent on paratransit, Donald said it’s usually a “hit or miss,” as with many of the agency’s services. In terms of being able to get a ride, she described the service as “lackluster” .
Other obstacles include scheduling problems and guaranteeing transportation to and from work and other events.
“As a person interested in this system working as a whole, not just for riders with disability, we need an increase in frequency and in routes, so that the most amount of Memphians who would like to use public transit as a viable option can do so,” Donald said.
She said this would also increase service for riders and riders with disabilities.
Transit Equity Day seeks to center voices like Donald and others in hopes of securing more reliable and equitable transit. Not only will participants participate in discussions, but they will also have the opportunity to write postcards to Memphis City Council members.
Donald said it is important to hold elected officials accountable in discussions of public transit as they are responsible for allocating funds. She said it is the public’s responsibility to urge them to properly invest in MATA.
“Elected officials are the ones making the decisions about the budget and the money that run the city,” Donald said. “Having a viable transit system that works for the most citizens is a way we can truly move Memphis forward.”
Donald said she hopes people gather to continue conversations around public transit to hopefully increase funding and show the realities of being reliant on the service. She reminded Memphians that transit is not just a class issue, but affects the city as a whole.