Former Nashville, TN, Bus Operator Honored During Renaming Ceremony

Celebrating the renaming included, from left to right, Aron Thompson, Nashville MTA Board Member; WeGo CEO Steve Bland; Jessica Dauphin, Nashville MTA Board Member; Harry William Duff, Sr.; Gail Carr Williams, Nashville MTA Board Chair; Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell; and Jacob Kupin, Metro Council Member. (Image courtesy of WeGo Public Transit)

WeGo Public Transit staff, community members, and lawmakers recently joined the family of Elizabeth Duff for a renaming ceremony to officially commemorate the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central. Duff was the first female and first African American female bus operator in Nashville, TN, when she was hired by the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) in April 1974. New signage and a rendering example of future historical displays were unveiled during the ceremony.

“Elizabeth was a pioneer, born and raised in Nashville. To the Duff family, I am here to say thank you for continuing this legacy. Her son, Seneca, is a bus operator at WeGo and here today,” Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said.

“Elizabeth was strong, and she was a person who wasn’t confrontational. She always tried to avoid conflict on the bus,” her husband Harry Duff, Sr., said.

The Metro Nashville City Council approved an ordinance in July 2022 to make the name change. All Metro Council members co-sponsored the bill, an indication of the level of support for the ordinance. Duff died on Feb. 13, 2021, at the age of 72.

“We are proud to rename WeGo Central in honor of Elizabeth Duff, who stood against the challenges of her time while making an incredible impact in our community,” Nashville MTA Chair Gail Carr Williams said.

“Our bus operators are the key to our service and Elizabeth exemplified excellence in her work. She was truly a transit trailblazer in Nashville,” WeGo CEO Steve Bland said.

The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) are operating bodies of WeGo Public Transit, which serves 26 local bus routes, nine regional bus routes, and one train serving Davidson and Wilson counties. Visit WeGoTransit.com.

Elizabeth Duff
(Image courtesy of WeGo Public Transit)