VIA Metropolitan Transit’s vintage Dreamliner bus has been meticulously restored to look brand new after 57 years in San Antonio. The 1966 Dreamliner maintains its original interior and exterior design and features a special seat dedicated to the legacy of Rosa Parks. It was the signature vehicle of San Antonio Transit’s fleet throughout the 1960s and ’70s, and is a staple of the city’s celebration of civil right icon Martin Luther King, Jr.
This year, for the first time, the Dreamliner will be on display at Pittman-Sullivan Park, where event attendees can tour it, take photos and learn more about its history and the role of transit in the Civil Right Movement.
The Dreamliner restoration was completed in 2022, including a massive engine overhaul, reupholstered seats with material and stitching to match the original design, body shop repair, a fresh coat of paint, and window replacement. Because many parts for the nearly 60-year-old bus are no longer available, VIA’s Fleet & Facility Maintenance Department custom designed, crafted and built parts, including door and window molding, rubber seals, and metal and aluminum brackets and panels to retrofit the bus. Visit VIAinfo.net/dreamliner for more on the Dreamliner’s story.
VIA’s 1966 Dreamliner bus serves as a “rolling museum” that highlights the role of public transportation in the modern Civil Rights movement, including milestones reached here in San Antonio. VIA has partnered with the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, to tell the story in a timeline series.
In 1955, Rosa Parks galvanized the movement when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, led in part by Martin Luther King, Jr., and helped bring about desegregation of public spaces, including public transportation. In 2018, a group of Freedom Riders rode in the VIA’s Dreamliner bus in San Antonio’s MLK March.
