The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority’s (RTA) Northwest Transit Center in Dayton, OH, is now a multimodal facility, providing intercity bus service as the new official depot for Greyhound Lines Inc.

RTA Transit Center Supervisor Jeannie Carr said she was a little anxious but upbeat when she arrived for work on Greyhound’s first day on RTA turf in late October. An eight-month employee of the system, Carr was promoted to supervisor after RTA assumed management of Greyhound.

She noted that her co-workers at the Northwest Transit Center have acquired additional duties with the arrival of Greyhound, such as securing baggage and shipping packages; the number of customers they assist will also increase.

RTA began employing Transit Ambassadors in 2008 at all five of its centers to provide on-the-ground customer service and security. They receive special training from Dayton police and county lawyers as well as from the transit agency.

Transit Ambassador Melia Williamson—a 20-year Greyhound employee before joining RTA—spent the first day helping her Ambassador colleague Denise Stickel learn Greyhound’s schedules and fares. Meanwhile, Susan Tate and Marc Shields, Transit Ambassadors based at the transit center, greeted and assisted customers outside the facility.

Because of local concerns related to Greyhound’s move to a Dayton suburb, RTA employees were determined to make the new service flawless. Within a few hours on the first day, however, that became a non-issue, according to Carr. She reported that RTA passengers using the center for local travel were largely unaffected and Greyhound customers made the transition well to the new location.

“We have tweaked the current safety plan to enhance customer service, vehicle safety, and security at the Northwest Transit Center,” said RTA Safety and Security Solutions Director Jim Napier.

About her new role, Carr said: “I know most of the ambassadors. I’ve already interacted with them. We’re always there for each other. Since the beginning, I’ve tried to be the big sister.”

Napier added: “A number of the Greyhound drivers have made positive comments about the support they receive from the ambassadors, [noting] that the facility is one of the brightest and cleanest in the region.”

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