By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | January 19, 2026

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), in partnership with The King Center, marked the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday with the launch of a commemorative bus wrap honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. This year’s observance carries the theme: “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way.”

Public transit has long been intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King described urban public transportation as “a genuine civil rights issue,” recognizing its role in connecting people to education, jobs, healthcare, and community life. MARTA leaders tied that history to the agency’s present-day mission and the daily realities of riders across metro Atlanta.

“MARTA is proud to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King,” said Jonathan Hunt, Interim General Manager and CEO of MARTA. “Public transit is more than a way to get from place to place. It is a connector of communities, an enabler of opportunity, and a platform for building unity. This commemorative bus represents transit’s power to shape a better future and make communities more equitable and inclusive.”

The Dr. King and Coretta Scott King commemorative bus will operate on Route 3, traveling along MLK Drive from the King Center through Sweet Auburn and the Atlanta University Center to H.E. Holmes Station. MARTA said the route highlights neighborhoods central to Dr. King’s legacy while underscoring the agency’s ongoing goal of connecting communities.

In addition, MARTA displayed its restored historical 1955 bus across from Dr. King’s Birth Home on Monday. The agency said the exhibit serves as a reminder of Rosa Parks’ courageous stand that ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott—an event that helped propel the modern Civil Rights Movement and cemented the bus as a national symbol of protest and dignity.

MARTA said its partnership with The King Center spans more than a decade, reflecting a shared commitment to honoring Dr. King’s legacy through community engagement and public service.

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