Last winter, the future of transit in Rhode Island looked bleak. Facing a looming, unfilled budget deficit and a chronic operator shortage that was only getting worse, RIPTA announced the reduction of service on almost 30 routes statewide, including the full elimination of 11 routes, stranding hundreds of riders and threatening a potential “death spiral” of collapsing ridership leading to further cuts. Just ten months later, RIPTA is in a completely different place.
Since then, transit advocates were able to successfully secure $15M in additional state funds to prevent service cuts and sustainably increase driver wages. RIPTA’s increase in driver wages and paid CDL training enabled them to successfully resolve the driver shortage, and this winter, we will see the first increase in transit service in over two years.
On Dec. 4 and 5, RIPTA held hearings to introduce new upcoming service improvements, including frequency increases and new crosstown afternoon school service. Please note, these are proposed changes, which, if approved, would take effect January 18, 2025.
Frequency Improvements
Not only is RIPTA now able to reliably run all scheduled service without dropping trips, they are increasing staffing with five driver positions, with plans to have more significant service increases next Spring and Summer.
- 27 Broadway/Manton & 28: Broadway/Hartford: Service is being streamlined from every 28-32 minutes to every 30 minutes all day.
- Additional “clockface scheduling” means buses will come every 15 minutes on Broadway, leaving :00, :15, :30, and :45 minutes after the hour.
- 35 Rumford/Newport Ave: Weekday service increased from every 50 minutes to every 40-45 minutes all day.
- Service will be coordinated with the 78 to provide frequent service on Taunton Ave.
- 72 Weeden/Central Falls: Weekday service increased from every 24 minutes to every 20 minutes
- This is the first of the “temporary” 2022 service cuts to be reversed, with plans to return routes like the 31/56, 27/28, 51/54, and 92 next to their previous frequency.
- 78 Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence: Weekday service increased from every 50 minutes to every 40-45 minutes. Saturday service increased from every 45 to 35 minutes. Sunday service doubled from every 90 minutes to every 45 minutes.
- Service will be coordinated with the 35 to provide frequent service on Taunton Ave.
New Amazon Service
The new Amazon Distribution Center in Johnston will employ over 1,500 people, and Amazon has committed $90,000 per year for free transit passes over the next 10 years.
- 10x Amazon: The Amazon pilot service launched on October 28th will be made permanent, with two round trips, seven days a week.
- Despite limited marketing, the service has already been a resounding success with 30 riders per round trip, making the 10x RIPTA’s best performing express route overnight.
- 28 Broadway/Hartford: Two to three trips will be extended from the old Johnston Stop&Shop to Amazon to meet shift times.
Route Segment Eliminations
RIPTA is proposing to eliminate some low-performing route segments, but these are not related to budgetary concerns, instead being done to redistribute resources to higher performing areas.
- 29 CCRI Warwick/Conimicut: Three trips serving Long St/Strawberry Field, which were created to replace 8x service, will be discontinued.
- These trips serve less than one rider per day.
- 14 West Bay: All service to Narragansett on Saturdays (three round trips) will be eliminated. These trips will instead serve Newport to provide consistent hourly service.
- 85% of branch riders travel to Newport, with only 15% travelling to Narragansett.
- 78 Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence: The inbound-only deviation to Narragansett Parkway will be removed due to low ridership, which will speed up service.
Other Routing Changes
- 35 Rumford/Newport Ave & 78 Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence: Inbound service will travel via the East Side Tunnel instead of Gano Street, I-195, and South Main St, reflecting the more reliable routing that many operators already use. Riders traveling to South Main St. can ride through Kennedy Plaza onto outbound trips serving South Water St.
- 14 West Bay & 24L Newport/Fall River/PVD: Service will deviate into the new Newport Park and Ride.
Afternoon Crosstown School Trippers
RIPTA is changing afternoon Providence Schools service by creating new trips that bypass Kennedy Plaza, instead “interlining” school trips to transition into existing neighborhood routes. This will make student trips more convenient and simpler, with the goal of reducing student congestion in Kennedy Plaza and providing more “one seat rides.”
Mount Pleasant High School
R Line via Atwells Ave & John J. Pargington Way
20 via Atwells Ave & John J. Partington Way
31 via Atwells Ave & John J. Partington Way
50 via Gentian Ave
Hope High School
R Line via I-95
19 via I-95
27 via I-95
50 via Randall St
56 via Smith St
E-Cubed Academy
27 via Branch Ave & I-95
Alvarez High School
19 via Elmwood & Dean
92 via Elmwood & Dean
27 via Elmwood & Dean
Roundup written by Cedric Ye of PVD Streets Coalition and RI Transit Riders