When we think of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, images of large crowds walking along city streets to their destinations come to mind and those famous images do represent the reality of many folks in Montgomery in the first days of the boycott. Lesser known, however, is that within weeks, activists had organized a comprehensive shuttle system to provide free rides to and from all areas of Montgomery.
Initially, shuttle drivers were volunteers, using their own vehicles and contributing their time around their work schedules as they could, often working 16 hour days. As the boycott wore on, dedicated drivers and vehicles were hired to create a sustainable ongoing system.
Drivers were given routes that followed busses’ normal paths. Depot stations were created at parking lots of black-owned businesses and black-owned filling stations provided gas for the fleet. Montgomerians could get from place to place, for free without needing to take a bus or a taxi.
As we honor different heroes from this movement, it has become so clear that there are so many ways to pursue justice. This system and its faithful drivers enabled the boycott to last indefinitely, and gave the people the leverage they needed to wait out the city commissioners and win the integration of the bus system they sought.
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