Free shuttle gets new stops, bus
Popularity of Flyer service surprises even RTA officials.
Downtown Dayton’s free shuttle service is rapidly growing in popularity, which officials and riders say has dramatically changed how people experience and get around the urban core.
The Flyer shuttle service saw a big jump in ridership in January and has added new stops and another bus to ensure riders don’t have to wait any longer than 10 minutes to climb aboard.
“We were not expecting the service to be as popular in the winter months as it has been,” said Jessica Olson, communications manager with the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, which operates the Flyer.
The Greater Dayton RTA is spend- ing about $1.1 million annually on the service, though about $300,000 comes from two sponsoring organizations whose employees use the shuttles to get to work.
The Flyer, afree circulator bus, launched on Nov. 9.
The free shuttles run on a continuous loop that stretches from Monument Avenue by RiverScape MetroPark to Irvin Avenue by the University of Dayton.
The shuttles show up every 10 minutes or less with stops at major employment centers, amenities, entertainment and dining destinations and hot-spots.
Sarah Critchfield, a 21-yearold junior at UD, rides the Flyer at least several times a week.
She hopped on a shuttle to attend a Broadway show at the Schuster.
She uses the Flyer to go watch movies at the Neon theater. She also uses the buses to get to restaurants and bars in the Oregon District.
“My friends and I joke, ‘Sometimes we just hop on the Flyer just so we have something to do,’” Critchfield said. “We get to drive around and see the sights.”
Last month, average weekday ridership of the Flyer was 1,061, up more than 10 percent from December, according to Greater Dayton RTA data. Average Saturday ridership was 294 in January, up nearly 40 percent from December.
The Flyer had large numbers of riders during some special holiday events.
Typically one of the busiest times is during lunch hours when downtown workers, UD students and residents hop on the buses for a quick trip to the Oregon District, Brown Street or the Central Business District.
The Flyer originally had three buses in rotation on the route at any given time. But Olson said the RTA added a fourth bus because of the large number of riders and increased traffic on Brown Street.
The RTA is in the process of re-branding two additional buses as Flyer shuttles to be reserves or in case they are needed when CareSource’s new office building opens.
CareSource and Premier Health are sponsoring the Flyer by contributing $300,000 to shuttle operations, RTA said.
The Flyer’s annual budget is $1.1 million. Aside from the sponsorships, the rest of the funding comes from local sales tax collections (twothirds of the remaining costs) and federal funds, RTA said.
CareSource expects to open its new six-story office tower this year, which will house hundreds of employees.
Premier and CareSource are relying on the Flyer to take their employees to and from parking garages that are a decent walk from their offices. Premier Health employees have appreciated the Flyer to get across town for meetings or to grab lunch, a spokesman said.
Many employees rely on the Flyer for all or a portion of their commute. The Flyer also helps employees experience the city outside of work hours, the spokesman said.
The Flyer now has 37 stops, including two that are new. One is by the Schuster Center, across from Premier Health’s downtown headquarters at 110 N. Main St. The other is at the pavilion at RiverScape MetroPark.
The shuttle service has been very popular considering that it serves “nontraditional” public transit users, including many people who previously never stepped foot on an RTA bus, officials said.
Critchfield said some students get stuck in a “UD bubble” because they don’t realize Dayton has interesting things to do, like the Neon, the Oregon District and 2nd Street Market.
But, she said, it seems like students increasingly are talking about venturing into the city to see shows and take in the nightlife.
She said the Flyer is quick and convenient and gets rid of the hassle of figuring out who should drive and where to park.
“Every time I hop on, it feels like there’s more and more UD students using it,” she said.