Rhode Island Public Transit Authority

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the 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 second quarter of 2023 is 41,300.[2] The agency operates 59 fixed-route bus routes and 7 demand-responsive routes, together serving 37 out of 39 Rhode Island municipalities.[1]

A route 51 bus at Kennedy Plaza in 2008
Founded1966
Headquarters705 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, Rhode Island
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 ridership41,300 (weekdays, Q2 2023)[2]
Annual ridership10,310,500 (2022)[3]
Fuel typeDiesel, Diesel-electric, CNG, Battery-electric
Chief executiveScott Avedisian
Websitewww.ripta.com

Service

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

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

Number Route Link
R-LineBroad/North MainLink
1Eddy/Hope/BenefitLink
3Oakland BeachLink
4Warwick NeckLink
6Prairie / Roger Williams Park ZooLink
9xPascoag Park-n-RideLink
10xNorth Scituate Park-n-RideLink
12xArctic/117 Express Park-n-RideLink
13Coventry/Arctic/CCRILink
14West BayLink
16Bald Hill/NEIT/QuonsetLink
17Dyer/PocassetLink
18Union AveLink
19Plainfield/WestminsterLink
20Elmwood Ave/T.F. Green AirportLink
21Reservoir/Garden City/CCRILink
22Pontiac AveLink
23Arctic/Crompton/Centre of New EnglandLink
24LNewport/Fall River/ProvidenceLink
27Broadway/MantonLink
28Broadway/HartfordLink
29CCRI Warwick/ConimicutLink
30Arlington/OaklawnLink
31Cranston StLink
32East Providence/Wampanoag/Seekonk SquareLink
33RiversideLink
34East Providence/Seekonk SquareLink
35Rumford/Newport AveLink
40Butler/ElmgroveLink
50Douglas Ave/Bryant UniversityLink
51Charles St/Twin River/CCRILink
54Lincoln/WoonsocketLink
55Admiral/Providence CollegeLink
56Chalkstone AveLink
57Smith StLink
58Mineral Spring/North ProvidenceLink
59xNorth Smithfield/Lincoln Mall Park-n-RideLink
60Providence/NewportLink
61xTiverton/East Bay Park-n-RideLink
63Broadway/Middletown ShopsLink
64Newport/URI KingstonLink
65XWakefield ExpressLink
66URI/CCRI Warwick/ProvidenceLink
67Bellevue/Salve Regina Univ.Link
68CCRI NPT/Mem. Blvd./First BeachLink
69Narragansett/GalileeLink
71Broad Street/Pawtucket AveLink
72Weeden/Central FallsLink
73Mineral Spring/Twin River/CCRILink
75Dexter/Lincoln MallLink
76Central AveLink
78Beverage Hill Ave/East ProvidenceLink
80Armistice BlvdLink
87Fairmount/Walnut HillLink
88Simmons Village Service
89Walmart Cranston
92RI College/Federal Hill/East SideLink
95xWesterly Park-n-RideLink
203Narragansett FlexLink
204Westerly FlexLink
231South Aquidneck FlexLink
242West Warwick/Coventry FlexLink
281Woonsocket/Manville FlexLink
282Pascoag/Slatersville FlexLink
301Westerly/Hope Valley Rural Ride
QXQuonset PointLink

History

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

  1. "Facts & Figures". Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  3. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  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. 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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