Racial segregation in public transportation played a significant role in the history of African Americans in the United States. It was a pervasive practice that enforced racial discrimination and inequality, particularly in the Jim Crow era from the late 19th to mid-20th century.

One key example of segregation in public transportation is the policy of "separate but equal," which was upheld by the 1896 Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. This ruling allowed for the legal segregation of public facilities, including transportation, as long as they were deemed to be "equal" for both white and Black individuals. In reality, however, facilities and services for Black passengers were often inferior to those for white passengers, with Blacks forced to sit in designated areas at the back of buses or trains, or even stand while white passengers had priority seating.

One of the most famous challenges to this segregation in public transportation was the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955-1956, sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus. The boycott, led by civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lasted for over a year and ultimately led to a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregated bus seating unconstitutional.

The struggle against segregation in public transportation was a crucial part of the larger Civil Rights Movement, which sought to dismantle institutionalized racism and achieve equal rights for all Americans. The legacy of these efforts can be seen in the eventual desegregation of public transportation and the broader societal changes that have improved the lives of African Americans in the United States.