No matter the time, day, or conditions, Greater Dayton RTA drivers are out on the roads daily, making sure thousands of customers get where they need to be. For their hard work, the RTA will celebrate its more than 400 transit drivers on Monday, March 18, as part of national “Transit Driver Appreciation Day.”
Around the clock, no matter if there’s sun in the sky or wind chills are below zero, our operators drive their routes, helping riders with directions, checking fares and remembering requests – all while safely operating extra-large vehicles through tight roadways, unpredictable traffic and ever-changing road conditions. The RTA is grateful for their hard work and dedication to our passengers and to the community.
But our drivers do more than just get people from one point to the next. For example, in the past year the RTA has received reports from the community about drivers performing acts of compassion in their work. These esteemed drivers include Keisha Gay, who stopped her bus to help a group of lost children wandering the streets of Dayton late at night. Or Carl Gentry, who spotted a pedestrian ahead on a street struggling to get across the busy roadway. The woman called RTA to thank Carl for stopping his bus, and assisting her across the street. And then there was LaToya Martin, who in June was driving her bus when she witnessed a two-car crash behind her, immediately pulled over to a safe location and exited her coach to assist one of the crash victims who was ejected from a car in the collision. These are just a few examples of the above-and-beyond work transit drivers complete each day that impact lives in the communities they serve.
The RTA will be honoring all of its drivers with a token gift in commemoration of the day, as well as encouraging riders to say “Thank You," by handing out “Thank You” notes they can give to their drivers. The free notes are available from one of RTA’s transit ambassadors at Wright Stop Plaza. The nationally-recognized day will be documented on social media by transit agencies across the United States using the hashtag #tdad.
