NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will waive all transit fares on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in recognition of Claudette Colvin Day. No identification required to enjoy free rides on all RTA buses, streetcars, and ferries throughout the day. 

This fare suspension stems from the RTA Board of Commissioners adopting the agency’s Fare Policy on Sept. 27, 2022. The policy establishes clear guidance for fare-related decisions and reflects RTA’s goals and commitments to serving the community. As part of this policy, RTA observes Rosa Parks Day on Feb. 4 and Claudette Colvin Day on Sept. 5 by offering fare-free transit service. In addition, the policy provides fare-free days during major elections to help ensure residents have transportation access to the polls.

Claudette Colvin was just 15 years old when, in March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks she refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus. Her arrest challenged the injustice of segregation and set the stage for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the larger Civil Rights Movement. Though her story is less widely known, Colvin’s act of defiance remains a powerful reminder of the role young people played in shaping history. 

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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is a sub-division of the State of Louisiana which is operated by an independent Board of Commissioners that serves Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes. The agency operates car and passenger ferries, fixed-route buses, Paratransit, streetcar, and limited on-demand service.