New bus service to help Dayton residents to library

DAYTON, Ohio — A new free shuttle aims to make it easier and safer for residents of five Dayton neighborhoods to get to their local library, job resources and other important destinations.

The West Branch Express will serve residents of Pineview, Lakeview, Miami Chapel, Madden Hills and Edgemont. Right now, the only way residents of those communities can get to the Dayton Metro Library West Branch without a car is to walk or ride a bike across U.S. Route 35.

Through the new service, two 15-passenger paratransit buses will travel to and from the West Branch Library several times a day, six days a week. It’ll also make stops at four other locations, including The Jobs Center on South Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

It’ll run every weekday starting at 2 p.m., with the last stop at about 5:45 p.m. On Saturdays, service starts at noon and ends around 3:45 p.m. There will be stops at each designated location once every hour.

Both buses have accessibility lifts.

The city plans to release additional information about the other destinations in the next few weeks. Service will begin July 1.

The West Branch Express project is more than a year in the making. It required support from the City of Dayton, Dayton Metro Library, CareSource Foundation and Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority.

Dayton Metro Library Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak said finding a safe way for residents to get across Route 35 has been a priority since the branch opened in February 2022 at the corner of Route 35 and Abbey Avenue.

The library system invested more than $12 million in the new branch. It has a community room, tutoring space, conference areas, a technology lab, a studio and an adult area with a fireplace. There are also spaces just for kids and teens that include things like interactive play areas and video game systems.

But it's been difficult for people to get there, Trzeciak said.

To make the West Branch Express possible, the CareSource Foundation is providing $174,000 over a three-year period. The funds will enable the bus to run through at least 2026, according to the city.

The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority donated the vehicles used for the service.

Mayor Jeffrey Mims called the partnership a "temporary" solution. He noted the city is pursuing funding to build a pedestrian bridge over Route 35 at Abbey Avenue.

"We simply could not have accomplished this without the support of the partners," Trzeciak said.