02/11/2026
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Thirteen Black men pooled their life savings to purchase $100,000 in stock, forming Safe Bus Co., Inc. on May 26, 1926. The company quickly grew into the largest African American–owned bus company in the nation.
Safe Bus expanded rapidly and was once described as the largest Black-owned transportation company in the world. By 1955, the company grossed $825,000. At its peak, it carried approximately 15,000 passengers per day, earned $18,000 weekly, and employed 75 people.
Early fares began at five cents and increased as the company expanded. The fleet grew from 35 to 42 buses, serving roughly 20 percent of the city. Black bus drivers earned between $1.60 and $2.50 per hour—wages that exceeded those of many schoolteachers at the time.
By 1968, Safe Bus provided transportation across the entire city. However, following integration, the company experienced a sharp decline in ridership. Changing social attitudes and increased competition led to significant financial losses.
In 1972, stockholders voted to sell Safe Bus to the city. The Winston-Salem Transit Authority then assumed responsibility for public transportation, marking the end of one of the most successful Black-owned transit companies in American history.
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