Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An event Friday morning aims to raise awareness about the need for expanded public transportation in Livingston County while also recognizing local leaders and groups at the forefront of the movement.

The 2nd Annual Livingston County Rosa Parks Transit Equity Day Pancake Breakfast and Community Recognition event will take place at the Torch 180 in Fowlerville.

LETS, the Livingston County Transportation Coalition, and other local organizations are hosting the event to increase awareness of the importance of safe, reliable, equitable and sustainable transportation for all segments of the community.

The Coalition and its partners advocate for improved public transportation for all in and around Livingston County.

National Transit Equity Day is always February 4th – Rosa Parks’ birthday. This year, the County is observing it on Friday, February 3rd with the event at Torch 180. The Coalition will also have a table at Saturday’s Community Connect event.

Transit Equity Day Coordinator Mark Hymes is the former Chair of the Livingston Country Transportation Coalition. He says they held a small gathering last year at the LETS garage in Howell but are expanding this year to host a more robust and formal program to recognize all of the municipalities and organizations actively providing and working to expand access to public transportation within their communities.

Municipalities receiving certificates of recognition include Hamburg, Putnam, and Unadilla Townships. Organizations receiving certificates include LETS, Torch 180, the Church and Society of First United Methodist Church of Brighton, and the Crossroads Group of the Sierra Club.

Hymes says the county is sort of being pieced together through contracts with LETS to provide more reliable and timely transportation in different areas. He says LETS contracts with Hamburg Township to provide shuttle services and more frequent rides in that area, and now Putnam and Unadilla Townships also have agreements to provide the same type of service.

Hymes noted the Torch 180 was an initial partner when they decided they wanted to host a Transit Equity Day event because their employees were having a difficult time getting to work in Fowlerville - so it seemed a fitting location for the event.

The community is encouraged to attend on Friday morning from 8 to 9:30am. In addition to the short presentations, the program includes a pancake breakfast that uses Rosa Parks’ recipe.

More information is available in the attachments and provided link.