What event did the Freedom Rides aim to desegregate in the South?

The Freedom Rides primarily focused on desegregating public buses in the Southern United States. In 1961, a group of civil rights activists, known as the Freedom Riders, embarked on a journey to challenge and end the segregation that was prevalent in interstate bus travel. They rode buses into the South, where racial segregation laws were still in effect, leading to violent confrontations and significant media attention. The goal of the Freedom Rides was to test the Supreme Court's ruling in Boynton v. Virginia, which declared that segregation in interstate bus travel was unconstitutional.

This social movement highlighted the broader struggle for civil rights, but its specific aim was to confront the systemic denial of access to public transportation based on race. While other options provided in the question, such as schools and restaurants, were also areas of significant focus during the civil rights movement, the immediate objective of the Freedom Rides was centered explicitly on public buses, making that the correct answer.