The Black Bus Company That Beat White Transit

Описание: In 1926, Winston-Salem's white-owned streetcars didn't run in Black neighborhoods, forcing African Americans to walk miles to work. On April 24, 1926, 21 Black jitney operators met at the Lincoln Theatre Building. Thirteen pledged their life savings—$100,000—to charter the Safe Bus Company on May 26, 1926. With the motto "Safety and Service," Safe Bus transported 8,000 passengers daily with 80+ drivers. According to Winston-Salem Transit Authority records, Safe Bus consistently outperformed Duke Power and City Coach Lines—the white-owned competitors serving wealthier neighborhoods. By 1968, Safe Bus became the sole public transportation provider for the entire city and the largest Black-owned transportation business in the world. The company operated for 46 years (1926-1972), proving that when Black entrepreneurs "are allowed to handle affairs of merit and responsibility," they don't just compete—they dominate. After integration, Safe Bus lost 60% of ridership due to lingering segregation attitudes and was sold to the city in 1972. Today, one Safe Bus remains at WSTA headquarters—a monument to excellence most people have never heard of.

#BlackBusiness, #BlackExcellence, #BlackHistory, #Entrepreneurship, #WinstonSalem, #NorthCarolina, #SafeBus, #Transportation, #Segregation, #BlackEntrepreneurs, #HiddenHistory, #BusinessHistory, #JimCrow, #CivilRights, #BlackOwned, #UntoldStories, #HistoryMatters, #1926, #Legacy, #Inspiration, #ShareThis, #Viral, #MustWatch, #Education, #TrueStory,#Everyone

Safe Bus Company, Black owned business, Winston-Salem North Carolina, 1926 transportation, jitney operators, segregation era business, Black entrepreneurship history, largest Black owned company, public transportation segregation, Jim Crow economics, African American business success, Clarence Woodland, Harvey Morgan, economic empowerment, Duke Power competition, business excellence, community transportation, integration impact, forgotten Black businesses, North Carolina history