The reductions mean RIPTA is able to preserve all of its current routes while closing the budget gap, although riders and activists contend the changes deal a blow for those who most rely on the service to navigate their daily lives.
Here’s what riders show know:
Starting on Saturday, riders should look carefully at the schedules.
According to RIPTA, change will affect these routes: 3, 4, 6, 9x, 12x, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59x, 60, 61x, 63, 65x, 66, 68, 69, 72, 75, 76, 78, 87, 92, 95x, and the R-Line.
The exact changes vary by route, but they include reduced bus frequency, and elimination of some weekend and holiday service on certain routes.
Park & Ride routes will also see service cut on some trips.
RIPTA officials have urged passengers to check www.RIPTA.com/servicechanges or call 401-781-9400 for information about specific route changes.
“As we heard throughout our public hearings, RIPTA is essential for Rhode Islanders to get to work, school, and appointments, and to lead productive lives,” RIPTA CEO Christopher Durand said in a statement on Friday. “These changes reflect those needs and ensure we can maintain service today while planning for a stronger future transit system.”
RIPTA’s board of directors voted 7-1 last month to approve a plan to cover its budget deficit by reducing service across much of the bus system.
RIPTA’s latest budget woes stem from a $32.6 million funding gap in Governor Dan McKee’s budget proposal earlier this year. While House lawmakers were able to allocate the transit agency approximately $15 million more, and RIPTA was able to find some additional savings, it wasn’t enough.
Facing a remaining $9.4 million hole, RIPTA put forward a plan in July that, if approved, would have eliminated 16 routes altogether, and would have left the door open for employee layoffs.
Just as the board was set to consider the plan, McKee, facing outcry from riders and transit advocates, urged officials to come up with a new approach.
Durand and McKee then put forward the current plan, which preserves all of the existing routes and avoids layoffs, but also calls for a “multi-year fare adjustment plan.” RIPTA’s $2-per-ride fare has not changed in 15 years.
While the bus system fares better under the latest plan compared to the initial proposal, riders and transit advocates say it still falls short of where they think RIPTA needs to be to best serve its passengers.
“Your weekend plans and employment are about to fall through thanks to Dan McKee’s sweeping cuts to the RIPTA system. The places people want to go on the weekends like nature, night life, culture, and shopping are losing service across the state,” Liza Burkin, board chair of the Providence Streets Coalition and the Save RIPTA campaign said in a statement this week.
“A reliable public transportation system that runs seven days a week is a fundamental necessity for workers, youth, seniors, individuals with disabilities, people who can’t afford a car, new arrivals, and those who would rather take a ride than contribute to our chronic traffic, parking, and pollution issues,” Burkin added. “Rhode Island has the foundation of a wonderful bus system, but it has suffered from disinvestment and neglect for many years.”
Speaking before RIPTA’s board last month, John Flaherty of Grow Smart Rhode Island said “cutting service will further reduce ridership [and] fare box revenue with strong potential to trigger a full blown transit death spiral.”
“The proposed cuts before you right now remain among the largest in RIPTA’s 59-year history,” Flaherty said. “They will inflict severe hardship on many people, businesses, and institutions, while undermining the value of public transit.”
Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report.