Pasadena to Offer Free Transit Rides on Wednesday for Transit Equity Day

Pasadena Transit and Dial-A-Ride will provide free rides systemwide on Wednesday, Feb. 4, as the city joins a regionwide observance of Transit Equity Day alongside Metrolink, LA Metro, LADOT and Foothill Transit.

The annual event, held on the birthday of civil rights figure Rosa Parks, recognizes public transit as a civil right. Parks, born Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, helped ignite the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott after refusing to give up her seat on Dec. 1, 1955.

“Transit Equity Day honors Rosa Parks’ legacy and the principle that everyone deserves access to reliable public transportation,” Doug Chaffee, chair of the Metrolink Board of Directors, said in a statement..

The Pasadena Department of Transportation, led by Director Joaquin Siques, offers six free-fare days each year, including Transit Equity Day, Earth Day, Bike to Work Day, Clean Air Day, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. The department states that its mission is to ensure the safe, efficient and convenient movement of people and goods while supporting a livable community where cars are not required for travel within the city.

“My vision for Pasadena builds on the progress made over the past two decades in enhancing safety for all road users, prioritizing sustainability and equity,” Siques said when appointed in March 2024.

Pasadena Transit operates 11 routes with a base fare of 75 cents. Routes 31 and 32 serve Northwest Pasadena and Altadena. Dial-A-Ride provides on-demand service for senior and disabled riders in Pasadena and nearby communities including Altadena, San Marino and unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Metrolink will allow riders to board at any of its 67 stations without a ticket. LA Metro will offer free rides on all buses, trains, Metro Bike Share and Metro Micro services. Metrolink reported more than 27,000 boardings on last year’s Transit Equity Day, a 22 percent increase over the average Tuesday that month.

Transit Equity Day was launched in 2018 by the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Labor Network for Sustainability.

Parks, who was secretary of the Montgomery NAACP at the time of her arrest, later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. She died Oct. 24, 2005.

For Pasadena Transit schedule, fare and route information, call (626) 744-4055 or visit PasadenaTransit.net.