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Rhode Island Public Transit Authority

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A route 51 bus at Kennedy Plaza in 2008
Founded1966
Headquarters705 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, Rhode Island united states
LocaleRhode Island (statewide)
Service typetransit bus, paratransit, demand responsive transport
Routes59 fixed-route
7 demand-response
Hubs3 (Kennedy Plaza, Newport Gateway Center, Pawtucket/Central Falls station)
Lounge3 (one at each hub)
Fleet229 buses, 13 vans, 72 paratransit vans[1]
Daily ridership41,900 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[2]
Annual ridership12,005,200 (2023)[3]
Fuel typeDiesel, Diesel-electric, CNG, Battery-electric
Chief executiveChristopher Durand (interim)
Websitewww.ripta.com

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Average daily ridership as of the third quarter of 2024 is 41,900.[2] The agency operates 59 fixed-route bus routes and 7 demand-responsive routes, together serving 37 out of 39 Rhode Island municipalities.[1]

Service

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The agency operates 59 fixed-route bus routes and 7 demand-responsive routes, together serving 37 out of 39 Rhode Island municipalities.[1] Paratransit service is branded RIde with a service area corresponding to that of non-express bus routes.[4] RIPTA operates a fleet of 229 buses, 13 cutaway vans for Flex services, and 72 paratransit vans. They are maintained at two garages in Providence and one in Newport.[1]

Fares for fixed-route and Flex trips are $2, with day and monthly passes available. Reduced fares are available for people over 65 and with disabilities. Fares can be paid with cash or with Wave smart card or mobile app, or RIde fares are $4.[5]

Routes

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An R-Line bus in downtown Providence

RIPTA operates 59 year-round bus routes: 50 local routes, one rapid route, and eight limited-service express routes. Most of RIPTA's fixed-route bus lines are centered on three major hubs: Kennedy Plaza in Providence, Pawtucket/Central Falls station in Pawtucket, and Gateway Center in Newport.

The R-Line is a limited-stop "Rapid Bus" route between Cranston and Pawtucket via Providence. It has some bus rapid transit (BRT) characteristics, including frequent service and transit signal priority, but runs in mixed traffic without dedicated lanes. Nine routes combine to provide five-minute-or-better headways in the Downtown Transit Connector between Providence station and the Hospital District. This corridor has BRT elements including limited stops, bus shelters with real-time information, bus/bike lanes, and signal priority.[6]

In addition to fixed-route services, RIPTA also provides Flex Service service, primarily settled around less populated areas in the state. These demand-responsive routes have fixed schedules for certain stops, but allow passengers to reserve trips within certain geographic areas.[7] RIPTA operates special services to connect with the seasonal Providence–Newport ferry, to provide seasonal access to South County beaches, and to serve Providence Public School District high schools.

List of routes

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Number Route
R-Line Broad/North Main
1 Eddy/Hope/Benefit
3 Oakland Beach
4 Warwick Neck
6 Prairie / Roger Williams Park Zoo
9x Pascoag Park-n-Ride
10x North Scituate Park-n-Ride
12x Arctic/117 Express Park-n-Ride
13 Coventry/Arctic/CCRI
14 West Bay
16 Bald Hill/NEIT/Quonset
17 Dyer/Pocasset
18 Union Ave
19 Plainfield/Westminster
20 Elmwood Ave/T.F. Green Airport
21 Reservoir/Garden City/CCRI
22 Pontiac Ave
23 Arctic/Crompton/Centre of New England
24L Newport/Fall River/Providence
27 Broadway/Manton
28 Broadway/Hartford
29 CCRI Warwick/Conimicut
30 Arlington/Oaklawn
31 Cranston St
32 East Providence/Wampanoag/Seekonk Square
33 Riverside
34 East Providence/Seekonk Square
35 Rumford/Newport Ave
40 Butler/Elmgrove
50 Douglas Ave/Bryant University
51 Charles St/Twin River/CCRI
54 Lincoln/Woonsocket
55 Admiral/Providence College
56 Chalkstone Ave
57 Smith St
58 Mineral Spring/North Providence
59x North Smithfield/Lincoln Mall Park-n-Ride
60 Providence/Newport
61x Tiverton/East Bay Park-n-Ride
63 Broadway/Middletown Shops
64 Newport/URI Kingston
65X Wakefield Express
66 URI/CCRI Warwick/Providence
67 Bellevue/Salve Regina Univ.
68 CCRI NPT/Mem. Blvd./First Beach
69 Narragansett/Galilee
71 Broad Street/Pawtucket Ave
72 Weeden/Central Falls
73 Mineral Spring/Twin River/CCRI
75 Dexter/Lincoln Mall
76 Central Ave
78 Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence
80 Armistice Blvd
87 Fairmount/Walnut Hill
88 Simmons Village Service
89 Walmart Cranston
92 RI College/Federal Hill/East Side
95x Westerly Park-n-Ride
203 Narragansett Flex
204 Westerly Flex
231 South Aquidneck Flex
242 West Warwick/Coventry Flex
281 Woonsocket/Manville Flex
282 Pascoag/Slatersville Flex
301 Westerly/Hope Valley Rural Ride
QX Quonset Point

History

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RIPTA was created in 1964 by the Rhode Island General Assembly to supervise what had been a system of privately run bus and trolley systems. RIPTA began operating buses on July 1, 1966, inheriting services provided previously by the United Transit Company (formerly the Rhode Island Company.[8] Woonsocket local service was expanded in 2011 to allow residents, many of whom do not own cars, to reach shopping areas outside town.[9] R-Line service began on June 21, 2014.

The 1 Eddy/Hope/Benefit and 35 Rumford lines were the first two RIPTA routes with stops outside of Rhode Island's borders, as both routes end in a northern terminus at the South Attleboro MBTA station in Massachusetts.[10] RIPTA was required to seek federal permission before the extending the routes across state lines to South Attleboro in 2013.[10] Soon, the 32 and 34 were extended over the Massachusetts border to Seekonk Square. In August 2019, RIPTA added a third line running to Massachusetts, the 24x, an express line which includes stops in Fall River and Somerset that connect to Southeastern Regional Transit Authority lines.[11][12]

In November 2019, RIPTA received $8 million in federal funding to add additional hubs at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick and the University of Rhode Island in Kingston.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Facts & Figures". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "RIde Paratransit Program". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "Fares". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Downtown Transit Connector". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  7. ^ "Flex". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  8. ^ RIPTA History
  9. ^ Saslow, Eli (16 March 2013). "Food stamps put Rhode Island town on monthly boom-and-bust cycle". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  10. ^ a b LANDIS, BRUCE. "RIPTA prepares to reorganize routes to improve service". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  11. ^ Daily News staff. "RIPTA adds new express service connecting Newport to Providence, Fall River". The Newport Daily News. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  12. ^ "24x Newport/Fall River/Providence". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  13. ^ "RIPTA to build new mobility hubs at URI, CCRI". The Westerly Sun. Westerly, Rhode Island. November 25, 2019.
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