Ray Gottschall’s experienced most of his life looking through a bus window. It all started with three pennies and a ride on a Greater Dayton RTA bus
He’s seen many changes in routes, drivers, passengers, and even the buses over his 65 years as an RTA rider. One thing that hasn’t changed is his memory about when he first started riding the bus at age 11.
“It was three cents for kids to ride, and only a penny to transfer,” the 76-year-old Kettering resident said about the trips he made in the 1950s. “I used to catch the street car at the corner of Burkhardt and Jersey to the RKO Keith Movie Theater,” he said.
Downtown Dayton streets were bustling with activity back then, Gottschall recalled, especially on Saturdays. Rike’s department store was “a big deal,” he said, and the buses ran until 1:30 in the morning.
Gottschall’s nostalgia transfers into the love he still has for the bus. He gave up his car long ago and uses the RTA as his primary transportation.
As an ordained reverend holding a doctorate in divinity, Gottschall said the RTA is also helping him expand his horizons by taking him to classes at Sinclair Community College where he’s majoring in behavioral health technology. “There is so much mental illness,” he said, adding that he doesn’t want to go work for someone, but prefers to be able to help “anyone who comes to my door.”
Gottschall shows no sign of slowing down, as his pocket notebook is full of tasks, lists, and places he needs to go each day. Thanks to the RTA, he said he knows he’ll always get there safely, and plans to continue riding for the next 65 years.
