Ride A Bus Day

The MTA upgraded its bus fleet to be fully accessible, but this was a gradual process that took more than a decade. At first, only a few routes had buses with lifts. Advocates worried that disabled people wouldn’t ride the new accessible buses, which would undermine their fight for access. They organized “Ride A Bus Day” (and later, “Ride A Bus Week”) to publicize the new bus lifts and encourage people to use them.

Blue-and-white poster reading "Ride A Bus Today, Oct. 14" featuring a wheelchair symbol whose wheel is a New York City transit token.

Date: 1982

Image Description: A color photograph of a dark blue poster with white text and graphics reading “RIDE A BUS TODAY / OCT. 14” at the top right. The central graphic is a large white International Symbol of Access where the wheelchair wheel is formed by a circular New York City transit token design inscribed “GOOD FOR ONE FARE / NYC” surrounded by the words “MOBILITY THROUGH ACCESS.” Below the graphic is a directory of “ACCESSIBLE ROUTES” listed by borough (Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan), noting which routes are served by Grumman buses with front or rear door lifts, and a contact line reading “call Mobility Through Access (212) 686-6770.”

Creator: Mobility Through Access

Source: Carr Massi Collection

A man in a suit and tie seated in a wheelchair inside a city bus next to other passengers during Ride A Bus Day.

Date: 1982

Image Description: A black-and-white photograph taken inside a city bus showing a man with curly dark hair wearing a light-colored suit and striped tie, seated in a manual wheelchair secured in the designated wheelchair space with a large leather bag on his lap. To his right, an older woman wearing glasses and a dark coat sits on a bench seat holding a black purse and a patterned shopping bag, while three other passengers sit by the windows in the background.

Source: Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) Collection

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