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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 ridership40,900 (weekdays, Q1 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 first quarter of 2024 is 40,900.[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 Link
R-Line Broad/North Main Link
1 Eddy/Hope/Benefit Link
3 Oakland Beach Link
4 Warwick Neck Link
6 Prairie / Roger Williams Park Zoo Link
9x Pascoag Park-n-Ride Link
10x North Scituate Park-n-Ride Link
12x Arctic/117 Express Park-n-Ride Link
13 Coventry/Arctic/CCRI Link
14 West Bay Link
16 Bald Hill/NEIT/Quonset Link
17 Dyer/Pocasset Link
18 Union Ave Link
19 Plainfield/Westminster Link
20 Elmwood Ave/T.F. Green Airport Link
21 Reservoir/Garden City/CCRI Link
22 Pontiac Ave Link
23 Arctic/Crompton/Centre of New England Link
24L Newport/Fall River/Providence Link
27 Broadway/Manton Link
28 Broadway/Hartford Link
29 CCRI Warwick/Conimicut Link
30 Arlington/Oaklawn Link
31 Cranston St Link
32 East Providence/Wampanoag/Seekonk Square Link
33 Riverside Link
34 East Providence/Seekonk Square Link
35 Rumford/Newport Ave Link
40 Butler/Elmgrove Link
50 Douglas Ave/Bryant University Link
51 Charles St/Twin River/CCRI Link
54 Lincoln/Woonsocket Link
55 Admiral/Providence College Link
56 Chalkstone Ave Link
57 Smith St Link
58 Mineral Spring/North Providence Link
59x North Smithfield/Lincoln Mall Park-n-Ride Link
60 Providence/Newport Link
61x Tiverton/East Bay Park-n-Ride Link
63 Broadway/Middletown Shops Link
64 Newport/URI Kingston Link
65X Wakefield Express Link
66 URI/CCRI Warwick/Providence Link
67 Bellevue/Salve Regina Univ. Link
68 CCRI NPT/Mem. Blvd./First Beach Link
69 Narragansett/Galilee Link
71 Broad Street/Pawtucket Ave Link
72 Weeden/Central Falls Link
73 Mineral Spring/Twin River/CCRI Link
75 Dexter/Lincoln Mall Link
76 Central Ave Link
78 Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence Link
80 Armistice Blvd Link
87 Fairmount/Walnut Hill Link
88 Simmons Village Service
89 Walmart Cranston
92 RI College/Federal Hill/East Side Link
95x Westerly Park-n-Ride Link
203 Narragansett Flex Link
204 Westerly Flex Link
231 South Aquidneck Flex Link
242 West Warwick/Coventry Flex Link
281 Woonsocket/Manville Flex Link
282 Pascoag/Slatersville Flex Link
301 Westerly/Hope Valley Rural Ride
QX Quonset Point Link

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 First Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  3. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 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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