Two specially wrapped buses made their debut in Montgomery County as part of the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority's (RTA) “Proudly Serving” project, showcasing points of interest in various cities where RTA buses travel.
The project kicked off Oct. 11, with the debut of Greater Dayton RTA’s first two buses: Kettering and Trotwood.
The project is the culmination of a vision Greater Dayton RTA CEO Bob Ruzinsky had more than a year ago to honor the communities the agency serves, and how its buses can connect people to these places.
“Too often in our busy lives we overlook the great places all around us in the communities we each call home,” Ruzinsky said. “These buses will highlight some of the great places in these diverse communities, and, we hope, foster increased community pride throughout Montgomery County.”
Each bus design was carefully crafted to emphasize points of interest in a specific community where the Greater Dayton RTA takes riders. To capture these locations, RTA worked with a professional photographer to collect high-resolution photos of about 130 public locations around Montgomery County. The buses also feature a fun fact, estimated population and the year the city or township was founded.
City leaders from Kettering and Trotwood said they were honored to be the first communities represented in the “Proudly Serving” project.
“Greater Dayton RTA kept this under wraps (pun intended) for over a year to surprise all of us with a unique way to honor the communities they serve,” said City Manager Mark Schwieterman. “The truth is, this gesture reminds us of the terrific services RTA offers communities. We are humbled by the planning, coordination, and research that went into this project specific to each community. Residents will recognize things about their hometown on the buses and perhaps learn something new as well. Our sentiment is ‘Kettering is home,’ and this RTA initiative certainly enhances that feeling.”
RTA’s Kettering bus features colors associated with the city in addition to well-known places such as Kettering Recreation Complex, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering Government Center, Polen Farm and Wenzler Park. There’s also a special nod to Bart Simpson on the side of the bus, connecting to Kettering’s fun fact that Nancy Cartwright, a Kettering native, is the voice of the character on “The Simpsons.”
Trotwood has an interesting fact of its own: it is the only city in the United States named “Trotwood.” It was named after “Betsy Trotwood,” a character from Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. That fun fact is featured on the side of the city’s blue bus, along with pictures of the Trotwood Government Building, Trotwood-Madison High School, Trotwood Track and Field, Community and Cultural Arts Center, Iams Homestead Museum and the Trotwood-Madison Park Playground.
“It feels good to be included. I realize we are the first of two (RTA is) starting out with, and it’s good to be first,” said Yvette Page, council member for Trotwood’s 2nd ward. “Most important is the vision of RTA and the collaboration of the RTA and the city of Trotwood, and that we are both here to serve the community.”
In total, there will be 22 buses highlighting the different communities served by RTA’s traditional big bus service. The agency intends to roll-out at least one bus a month over the next year.
