Last week, tenant power secured a vital resource for Winston-Salem’s transit users as Housing Justice Now and its partners secured fare-free bus service on days of excessive heat and dangerous cold. On Monday, August 4, Winston-Salem city council passed a motion to run buses without fare between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. any day when the temperature reaches 95°F or the heat index reaches 100°F. Additionally, the item codified a policy where bus service would be free for any 4 hour timeframe when the windchill dips to 20°F or below.
HJN’s demands of city government were organized from a rapid response team started in June in response to record-breaking temperatures and dangerous conditions during which Winston-Salem tenants and pedestrians were forced to give up bus fare in exchange for relief from oppressive heat. Next, tenants set up a petition drive, providing direct aid to bus riders and explaining why they were demanding free bus service during climate extremes. HJN also partnered with Piedmont Environmental Alliance, Winston-Salem Democratic Socialists of America, and Twin City Harm Reduction Collective to spread the word and call for signatures, gathering about 1,000 signatories.
The petition for free bus fare was initially faced with stonewalling and delay. After tenants insisted on meeting with Mayor Allen Joines, they were told that it would be too late to adjust the budget for emergency climate response and that the cooling centers would be sufficient. So the union focused its efforts on a pressure campaign which the Mayor could not ignore. After hearing consistent feedback from the community fed up with excuses, Mayor Joines conceded that this could be done and Winston-Salem Transit Authority piloted fare-free extreme heat service from July 26 through July 30.
The motion before City Council to provide free bus service for both extreme heat and extreme cold passed unanimously. It is one step toward what HJN and tenants across the state believe should be the norm: A fare-free transit city. It is also an example of the type of change we can see happen when our community members come together to demand basic dignity in the face of increased climate calamity and economic hardship. Work on the frontlines of modern challenges faced by NC tenants is only just beginning – however, we know we have the numbers to demand justice. HJN proved that this summer.
If you would like to join the effort of organizing tenant communities across Winston-Salem and effecting change, you can get involved with Housing Justice Now and learn more here.
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