ATLANTA — MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) and the King Center are honoring the life and legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King with a special bus unveiling.

The commemorative bus unveiling was held at the 2025 King Holiday Observance kick-off reception and was the start of the observance under the Mission Impossible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence 365, according to MARTA officials.

“MARTA is proud to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King,” said MARTA Board Chair Jennifer Ide. “Public transit connects people to opportunity, and this commemorative bus stands as a reminder of the power of inclusion and justice to drive transformative change.”

MARTA officials say the “commemorative bus reflects MARTA’s ongoing commitment to equity and highlights the historical connection between public transit and the Civil Rights Movement.”

Rev. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta previously discussed the upcoming presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, which falls on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

“As we prepare for a new presidential administration — or a repeat in some ways — this King holiday, I am calling on all people of goodwill and conscience to do more than commemorate and celebrate King for a day,” King previously said. “I’m calling us to do more than, quote King, which we love to do.”

MARTA officials say the bus is scheduled to begin service on Route 3, which travels on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive through the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, the Atlanta University Center and to H.E. Holmes Station.

As Dr. King once described public transportation as a “genuine civil rights issue,” officials are also set to display the restored 1955 bus across from Dr. King’s birth home.