Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority

Last updated
Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority
GreaterDaytonRTA2008.jpeg
Founded1972
Headquarters4 South Main St,
Dayton, Ohio
Service area Montgomery County and Greene County, Ohio
Service type bus service, express bus, paratransit
Routes18
Stops+2,500
HubsEastown Shopping Center
Westown Shopping Center
Northwest
South (Dayton Mall)
Wright Stop Plaza (Downtown Dayton)
StationsMaintenance Facilities,
600 Longworth St, Dayton
Fleet260
Daily ridership19,800 (weekdays, Q4 2023) [1]
Annual ridership6,570,600 (2023) [2]
Fuel typeDiesel, Electric and Hybrid
Operator350
Website i-riderta.org

The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, formerly known as the Miami Valley RTA, is a public transit agency that generally serves the greater Dayton, Ohio area. The GDRTA serves communities within Montgomery County and parts of Greene County, Ohio, USA. There are 18 routes. RTA operates diesel and electric trolley buses seven days a week, 21 hours a day, and provides services to many citizens within the area. RTA's current CEO is Bob Ruzinsky. [3] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 6,570,600, or about 19,800 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Contents

Greater Dayton RTA is Ohio’s fourth-largest public transit system, [4] serving Dayton and 23 surrounding communities in Montgomery County and parts of Greene County.

History

Former GDRTA Logo GDRTA logo.png
Former GDRTA Logo

The Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority (now the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, or RTA) took over public transit operations in November 1972. In 2003, its board of trustees voted to change the transit agency's name to the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority. [5]

Trolley buses

From the late 1990s until 2019, the trolley bus system used vehicles built by Electric Transit, Inc. Dayton 1998 ETI 14TrE2 trolleybus 9834 on Jefferson St downtown, SB on route 7 (2016).jpg
From the late 1990s until 2019, the trolley bus system used vehicles built by Electric Transit, Inc.

One notable feature of the GDRTA system is its use of electric trolley buses. Only five cities in the United States currently have electric trolley buses: Boston, Dayton, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. [6] The first electric trolley bus (ETB) operation in Ohio occurred in Dayton, on April 23, 1933, when the Linden–Salem line was converted from streetcars to trackless trolleys — or trolley buses, as they are most commonly known today. The RTA renewed its commitment to electric transit with a board of trustees vote to continue the trolley bus service in 1991, and the purchase of a new fleet of ETBs from Electric Transit, Inc., a joint venture of the Czech company Skoda and the U.S. company AAI Corporation, based on Skoda's model 14Tr. Final assembly of the vehicles took place in Dayton in 1995–98. In 2014, the system added its first low-floor trolley buses, with four dual-mode prototypes purchased from Vossloh Kiepe (now Kiepe Electric) and using bodies from Gillig, for testing and evaluation. In January 2018, RTA placed an order with Kiepe for 26 production-series dual-mode trolley buses to the same design as the prototypes, with Gillig low-floor bodies, for delivery starting in 2019. [7]

One of RTA's current fleet of 45 Gillig/Kiepe dual-mode trolley buses in 2021 Dayton trolleybus 2064, a 2020 Kiepe DMBT with Gillig BRT body (2021).jpg
One of RTA's current fleet of 45 Gillig/Kiepe dual-mode trolley buses in 2021

Electric streetcar service in Dayton had started in 1888, and it continued through to, and indeed beyond, the start of trolley bus service. Therefore, electric transit service has been operated continuously in Dayton since 1888, which is longer than in any other city in the United States. [6]

Hybrid buses

One of RTA's 2010-built hybrid buses leaving the downtown transit center, known as Wright Stop Plaza Dayton Gillig BRT hybrid bus 1002 leaving Wright Stop Plaza on route 9.jpg
One of RTA's 2010-built hybrid buses leaving the downtown transit center, known as Wright Stop Plaza

With the addition of environmentally friendly hybrid buses in 2010 to the GDRTA's fleet, the GDRTA is Ohio's greenest transit fleet. [8] [ failed verification ] In September 2010 RTA was designated the only 5-star Ohio Green Fleet by Clean Fuels Ohio.

Hubs

Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center, viewed from across Main Street in 2010 Wright Stop Plaza transit center from west (2010).jpg
Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center, viewed from across Main Street in 2010

The RTA operates five bus "hubs", or transit centers. Each hub serves as a connection to many suburban bus routes around Dayton. The one in downtown Dayton is named Wright Stop Plaza and opened for service on September 1, 2009 (after a ceremonial opening earlier). [9] [10]

Operation

The RTA operates with diesel and electric trolley buses. Dayton is the smallest city in the United States to still operate electric trolley buses. [6] The trolley buses travel at least five miles on RTA routes serving Dayton and some neighboring suburbs. The routes include: Route 1, Route 2, Route 4, Route 7 and Route 8. Bus service to Dayton International Airport from downtown Dayton began on 11 August 2013. Service was expanded to stops on Pentagon Boulevard in Beavercreek, allowing access to the Fairfield Commons Mall and Soin Medical Center, on January 12, 2014.

Contributions

The RTA has been involved in helping the city of Dayton through its contributions to the Dayton Dragons, The Schuster Center, and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

In addition, RTA passed a resolution to make easier connections to its regional hubs and prevent misuse of transfers. In January 2007, RTA created an established proposal to make all buses serve regional businesses, establish transfer points in designated areas and streamline previously neighborhood routes. The RTA added two routes to serve areas frequently used by passengers. RTA discontinued eight routes in response to overlapping and low passenger counts.

Regular route list

A 2010 Gillig Low Floor bus in downtown, on route 12, in 2017 2010-built Dayton Gillig diesel bus 1045 in green paint scheme, eastbound on 3rd St downtown.jpg
A 2010 Gillig Low Floor bus in downtown, on route 12, in 2017

Active Bus Fleet

YearManufactuurerModelFleet NumbersEngineTransmissionNotes
2014GilligBRT Plus ETB 40'1401-1404Vossloh KiepeOnly for routes 1, 2, 4, 7, 8.
2016GilligLow Floor 40'1601-1624Cummins ISL9Voith D864.5
2017GilligLow Floor 40'1701-1725Cummins ISL9Voith D864.6
2018GilligLow Floor 29'/40'1801-1824, 1831-1834Cummins L9Voith D864.61801-1824 are 40'foot and 1831-1834 are 29'foot
2019GilligLow Floor 40'1901-1917Cummins L9Voith D864.6
2019GilligBRT Plus ETB 40'1951-1971Vosslon KiepeOnly for routes 1, 2, 4, 7, 8.
2020GilligBRT 35'2031-2037Cummins L9Voith D864.6Only use for the Flyer service
2020GilligBRT Plus ETB 40'2051-2070Vosslon KiepeOnly for routes 1, 2, 4, 7, 8.
2021GilligLow Floor 40'2101-2111Cummins L9Voith D864.6
2023GilligLow Floor 29'2331-2337Cummins L9Voith D864.6

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority</span> Public transit agency for the city and suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, USA

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, with a ridership of 22,431,500, or about 75,300 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsborough Area Regional Transit</span>

Not to be confused with Huntington Area Rapid Transit (HART) based in Huntington, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District</span>

The Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District is a mass transit system that operates in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area in eastern Illinois. MTD is headquartered in Urbana and operates its primary hub at the intermodal Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,947,600, or about 34,300 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital District Transportation Authority</span> Public transport operator in the New York Capital District

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is a New York State public-benefit corporation overseeing a number of multi-modal parts of public transportation in the Capital District of New York State. CDTA runs local and express buses, including four lines of an express bus service called BusPlus, and day-to-day management of three Amtrak stations in the Capital region–the Albany-Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs Amtrak stations. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 15,779,000, or about 55,300 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Laketran is the transit agency that serves Lake County, Ohio, the county northeast of Cleveland. It is the third-largest transit system in Northeast Ohio, serving Mentor, Painesville, Willoughby, Wickliffe. Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Madison and other Lake County destinations. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 629,500, or about 2,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stark Area Regional Transit Authority</span> Transit agency in Stark County, Ohio

Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) is a public sector transit agency servicing Stark County, a county in Ohio containing Canton, Alliance, and Massillon. In addition to its regular line service within Stark County, SARTA runs one bus route between Canton and downtown Akron, connecting to Akron's METRO RTA bus system and also serving the Akron-Canton Regional Airport from both cities and one route to Cleveland starting March 4, 2013. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,371,600, or about 5,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">METRO Regional Transit Authority</span>

METRO Regional Transit Authority, also known as Akron Metropolitan Regional Transit Authority, is the public transit agency serving Summit County, Ohio and the city of Akron. It operates a number of local routes, and also operates one route into downtown Cleveland. Akron Metro transports passengers to/from school, work, grocery stores, malls and jobs all across Summit County. METRO RTA's fleet consists of about 200+ vehicles running on diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and as of 2022/2023, two fully electric Gillig vehicles, compressed natural gas fuels. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 4,260,900, or about 14,900 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DASH (bus)</span> Public bus system

Driving Alexandria Safely Home (DASH) is the public bus system for the city of Alexandria, Virginia, operated by the Alexandria Transit Company.

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. SORTA operates Metro fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. SORTA's headquarters are located at the Huntington Building in Cincinnati’s Central Business District. The agency is managed by CEO and General Manager Darryl Haley along with a 13-member board of trustees. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 13,091,500, or about 44,800 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housatonic Area Regional Transit</span> Transportation provider in and around Danbury, Connecticut

Housatonic Area Regional Transit, known popularly as HARTransit, is the provider of public transportation for Danbury, Connecticut and surrounding communities. HARTransit was founded in 1972 as the Danbury-Bethel Transit District by the two municipalities. The name was changed to Housatonic Area Regional Transit in 1979 after the addition of other municipal members. The agency receives funding from municipal contracts, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration and the New York State Department of Transportation. Prior to HARTransit's establishment, Danbury had gone without transit service since 1967 when the privately owned ABC Bus Company which had replaced the Candlewood Bus Company a few months before, ceased operations. The first local bus transit operator in the area, Danbury Power & Transportation Company, operated bus services in Danbury and Bethel from 1926 to 1965. HARTransit provides service to a greater number of towns than its predecessors.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is a government agency that provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a fixed-route bus system that encompasses over 40 bus routes - including two express routes to Tampa; the Central Avenue Trolley; the Suncoast Beach Trolley; and the bus rapid transit service, the SunRunner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Regional Transit Authority</span> Bus system in Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) is a public, non-profit organization charged with providing public transportation to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the surrounding towns. The WRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws. This act also created several other regional transit authorities in Massachusetts, including the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority among others; in terms of ridership, the WRTA is the second largest regional transit authority and third largest transit system in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside Transit Agency</span> Transit system in Riverside County, California, United States

The Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) is the main transit agency for western Riverside County, California, United States. RTA provides both local and regional services throughout the region with 39 fixed-routes, 9 CommuterLink routes, and Dial-A-Ride services using a fleet of 339 vehicles. In the cities of Corona, Beaumont and Banning, RTA coordinates regional services with municipal transit systems. In Riverside, RTA coordinates with the city's Riverside Special Services, which provides ADA complementary service to RTA's fixed-route services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Transit, Inc.</span> Defunct trolleybus manufacturer in the United States

Electric Transit, Inc. (ETI) was a joint venture between the Škoda group in the Czech Republic and AAI Corporation in the United States which made trolleybuses for the Dayton and San Francisco trolleybus systems, constructing a total of 330 trolleybuses. ETI was formed in 1994, and ownership was divided as 65% by Škoda and 35% by AAI. The latter was a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation. Up to that time, Škoda had built more than 12,000 trolleybuses since 1935, but none for cities outside Europe and Asia. The ETI joint venture was dissolved in 2004, shortly after an unsuccessful bid to supply trolleybuses to Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority</span>

The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as PARTA, is a transit agency serving Portage County, Ohio. It is headquartered in Franklin Township just outside the Kent city limits. PARTA was formed in 1975 from an agreement between the city of Kent and Franklin Township and has since expanded to include routes over much of Portage County. It operates several local routes including circulator and suburban routes in Kent, and an interurban route connecting Ravenna, Kent, and Stow. PARTA also offers express routes including services into downtown Cleveland, Akron as well as weekday service to the rural Portage County communities of Windham, Garrettsville and Hiram. In addition, PARTA includes Kent State University's Campus Bus Service, which it acquired in 2004, and a dial-a-ride service. A proposed plan to acquire Lorain County Transit to serve better bus service in Lorain County. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 903,300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayton metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in Ohio, United States

Greater Dayton or the Miami Valley, or more formally the Dayton–Kettering–Beavercreek, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in the Miami Valley region of Ohio and is anchored by the city of Dayton. As of 2020, it is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Ohio and the 73rd-largest metropolitan area by population in the United States with a population of 814,049.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HealthLine</span> Bus rapid transit line in Cleveland, Ohio

The HealthLine is a bus rapid transit (BRT) line run by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority in Cleveland and East Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The line runs along Euclid Avenue from Public Square in downtown Cleveland to the Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland. It began operation on October 24, 2008. Its current name was the result of a naming rights deal with the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals of Cleveland. The HealthLine is denoted with a silver color and abbreviated simply as HL on most RTA publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merced County Transit</span>

Merced County Transit, also known as "The Bus", provides public bus transportation services throughout Merced County in the Central Valley and San Joaquin Valley areas of California. Vehicles are owned and maintained by Transit Joint Powers Authority of Merced County with daily operations conducted by a private contractor (Transdev).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Water Area Transit</span> Transit system

Blue Water Area Transit (BWAT) is the public transit operator serving Port Huron, Michigan and surrounding St. Clair County. Operated by the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission (BWATC), the BWAT system includes fixed-route buses in the Port Huron area, plus commuter routes and paratransit services. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,013,200, or about 3,800 per weekday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Dayton</span>

The Dayton trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving Dayton, in the state of Ohio, United States. Opened on April 23, 1933, it presently comprises five lines, and is operated by the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, with a fleet of 45 trolleybuses. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,163,400, or about 6,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

References

  1. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. "Executive Leadership: Bob Ruzinsky, Chief Executive Officer". GDRTA. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  4. "Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products Announces Partnership with Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority". Business Wire. September 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  5. "History". GDRTA. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  6. 1 2 3 "A Brief History of Electric Transit in Dayton". GDRTA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  7. Trolleybus Magazine No. 339 (May–June 2018), p. 117. ISSN   0266-7452.
  8. "Dayton becomes Ohio's greenest fleet" . Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  9. "New RTA Transit Center opens". Dayton Daily News . September 1, 2009. p. 3.
  10. Trolleybus Magazine No. 288 (November–December 2009), p. 144. ISSN   0266-7452.