The Greater Dayton RTA will begin offering a new semester-long pass exclusively for students, faculty and staff at Sinclair College starting this fall thanks to a new partnership between the college and transit agency.
RTA and Sinclair will hold a joint press conference on August 1 at 11 a.m. on the Sinclair campus to share details of the new partnership and bus pass. This is the same day the pass will be available for purchase at the Sinclair Bookstore, 444 W. 3rd St., Building 7.
Sinclair College in the Downtown Dayton business core is No. 1 on the list of the “Top 10 Destinations” that RTA buses drop off and pick up customers. Many of the 30,000 Sinclair students and more than 3,300 Sinclair employees rely on public transportation to get them to and from school and work.
“RTA is a great partner in understanding our mission of student success,” said Paul Murphy, Sinclair’s director of Business Services. “For many students, having bus transportation is essential to completing their degree. Not only does the new pass ease an obstacle to getting to class, the tracking system on the passes will ensure that the investment students are making will not be lost. It’s a win-win.”
Unlike previous years, when many students purchased weekly or monthly passes, this Semester Pass will be valid the length of the first semester, from August 7 until December 24, and only cost Sinclair students and employees $175. This is a savings of close to $100. The pass may also be purchased using student financial aid. A similar semester pass will be offered in Winter 2017 and Summer 2018.
Making transit accessible and more affordable for students, faculty and staff benefits everyone, said RTA CEO Mark Donaghy.
“The semester pass will eliminate the transportation concern of students and allow them to focus on academics. We hope the success of this partnership will lead to similar projects throughout the region,” Donaghy said.
The Sinclair Semester Pass is only available at the Sinclair bookstore on campus and a valid Tartan I.D. must be presented to purchase. To use the pass on the RTA system, a valid Tartan I.D. will also need to be displayed to the driver when boarding the bus.
