One of the perks of working at RTS is the opportunity to have a bus named for your child or grandchild. Before each new bus is rolled out to serve the public, a child’s name is painted on the outside and remains there for the life of the bus.
RTS holds a drawing to choose children’s names and then dedicates the buses at a brief ceremony. Three ceremonies scheduled for Sept. 6 and 13 will launch 83 new buses for RTS and regional subsidiaries in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Names are randomly chosen from employee submissions of children ages 12 and under. This year, more than 150 employees entered the drawing. Once a child’s name has been added, it typically remains on the bus until it is taken out of service—approximately 12 years. Since the practice began in 2009, 353 buses have been put in service bearing a name.
RTS Chief Executive Officer Bill Carpenter says, “We think this is a great way to celebrate our staff and, at the same time, make the riding experience a little bit friendlier for our customers. Since we started the tradition, it’s been one of the most popular staff events we hold, and definitely delightful to see the kids receive certificates bearing their buses’ number.”
