Day 18: Remembering Local History during Black History Month The Safe Bus Company, the largest Black transportation company in the world, was formed in 1926 in response to a “poorly regulated, dangerous and overcrowded jitney system” that connected Black riders to electric streetcars that only operated inside white neighborhoods. The jitney operators pooled their resources to form this safer solution and ran a fleet of 35 buses. In 1959, Safe Bus named Mary Burns its first f…emale president. She went on to drive for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and Greyhound Bus lines before retiring in 2012. The Safe Bus Company operated until 1972 when it was purchased by the City of Winston-Salem and became the Winston-Salem Transit Authority. The Depot Street Renaissance mural by Leo Rucker represents the contributions of just a few of the many individuals, businesses and institutions that made the neighborhood that is now the Innovation Quarter a prestigious community and a thriving hub of Black enterprise. Visit the mural on 7th Street between Research Pkwy and Vine St: https://bit.ly/3sBUneI #blackhistorymonth #blackhistorymonth2022 #BHM2022 #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #bhm #blacklivesmatter #blm #blackhistory #history ? Winston-Salem Transit Authority