RTA statement on Dayton Public Schools court ruling

(DAYTON, OHIO)… The Greater Dayton RTA has been informed of the court’s decision to grant the temporary restraining order of the provision in the state budget that prevents Dayton Public School District (DPS) from purchasing bus passes for their students. The RTA will comply with the ruling and sell bus passes to DPS upon request. Since the Dayton Public School board previously voted not to purchase RTA bus passes, RTA will do it best to address the influx of passengers expected because of DPS’s sudden change in transportation strategy.

RTA maintains that public transit is not the most effective solution for meeting the daily transportation needs of these students. RTA routes run across the entire county and focus on getting riders to work, medical appointments and other essential trips. The routing, frequency, and timing of public bus routes are not conducive to meeting the unique needs of students and the numerous schools across our service area.

At any given time during the school day, RTA has just over 75 buses on the streets serving the entire county. That is the same number of buses DPS officials indicated they would need to fully serve the needs of Dayton high schools alone. Redeploying those to meet the needs of just one school district would mean we could not provide other services to the rest of Montgomery County.

RTA will continue to work with community leaders, state reps, and DPS to develop a more student focused long-term transportation solution for the 2026-27 school year.