DAYTON, Ohio – Bus rides will be free in the Dayton area on Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 in order to show support for two social causes.

Air Quality Awareness - May 2​

National Air Quality Awareness Week is May 2 to May 6. To celebrate the start of the week, bus service will be free May 2 to remind riders of the impact public transportation can have on air quality.

Gas-powered personal vehicles are a known contributor to air quality issues. Those most vulnerable to air quality issues include the elderly and people with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Bob Ruzinsky, CEO of RTA, said every Dayton-area bus has the potential to eliminate up to 40 cars on the road and the emissions that come from those vehicles.

“That means better air quality for all,’’ he said, adding that RTA has one of the greenest bus fleets in Ohio. The agency uses diesel, hybrid diesel and electric trolley buses. Customers take more than 9 million trips on RTA buses each year.

“When you couple (fewer vehicles on the road) with passengers riding one of our zero-emissions electric trolley buses, that makes their trip even greener,” he said. “Public transit is the greenest travel option in the Miami Valley and we are proud to support initiatives meant to improve air quality within the community we serve.”

Ohio Primary - May 3

RTA will also provide free rides system-wide May 3 to help Dayton-area residents exercise their right to vote in Ohio’s primary election. There are more than 3,000 stops on 25 routes throughout the service region of Montgomery and western Greene counties.

The transit agency called the move an "access" issue.

"The RTA has long supported the community’s need for accessible transportation on important days throughout the year by offering free rides," the agency said in a statement. "The agency is continuing that trend by offering free rides on election days to further foster an atmosphere of inclusion and generate awareness for important causes and events in the community."

Both promotions apply to fixed-route and paratransit services.

Survey

The transit agency wants to hear from RTA users about their experience. Through May 1, RTA will continue to collect rider feedback to improve operations through an online survey. It asks for feedback on service, fare rates and overall customer satisfaction.

It's available in both English and Spanish.

The American Bus Benchmarking Group (ABBG) administers the survey. As a member of ABBG, RTA can engage with other mid-sized bus organizations in the United States to compare performance and share best practices. 

The goal of the survey is to see how RTA compares to other transit agencies and look for areas to improve.

“The ABBG customer satisfaction survey gives our customers a chance to tell us what we are doing well and point out areas where we could improve,” said Brandon Policicchio, RTA’s chief customer and business development officer. “We understand that there have been temporary changes to our services because of COVID-19; however, we are always looking to fine-tune our services based on our customers’ feedback.”

As an incentive, each week RTA has randomly awarded a week’s worth of free rides to one winner. At the end of the survey, RTA will select a winner for a month’s worth of free rides and four Dayton Dragons tickets.

For more information on the RTA, visit www.iriderta.org.