RIPTA to Hold Public Hearings on Proposed Statewide Service Cuts Due to Budget Deficit

RIPTA will hold public hearings on proposed service reductions in all five Rhode Island counties starting on July 28 and continuing through August 6, 2025. The Authority announced that the reductions in service statewide are part of the cost controls it is imposing to manage a $17.6 million dollar deficit for FY 2026, which began on July 1, 2025. 

Proposed Service Changes

Proposed service changes will affect Routes 1, 3, 4, 6, 9x, 12x, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 50, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59x, 60, 61x, 63, 64, 65x, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 78, 80, 87, 88, 89, 92, 95x, 203, 231, 281, 301 and the R-Line.

The proposed service reductions include the elimination of routes, or route segments, or service as follows:

Regular Route and Flex Service Eliminations

• Route 23 (Arctic/Crompton/Centre of New England)
• Route 68 (CCRI Newport/Memorial Blvd./First Beach)
• Route 69 (Narragansett/Galilee)
• Route 73 (Mineral Spring/Twin River/CCRI)
• Route 75 (Dexter/Lincoln Mall)
• Route 76 (Central Ave)
• Route 80 (Armistice Blvd.)
• Route 88 (Simmons Village Service)
• Route 89 (Thursday Only Walmart Cranston)
• Flex 231 (South Aquidneck)
• Flex 301 Rural Ride (Westerly/Hope Valley)

Park & Ride Eliminations

• Route 9x (Pascoag Park & Ride): route elimination 
• Route 12x (Arctic/117 Express Park & Ride): route elimination 
• Route 59x (North Smithfield/Lincoln Mall Park & Ride): route elimination 
• Route 61x (Tiverton/East Bay Park & Ride): two weekday roundtrips eliminated
• Route 65x (Wakefield Park & Ride): route elimination 
• Route 95x (Westerly Park & Ride): route elimination 

Elimination of Route Segments

• Route 1 (Eddy/Hope/Benefit): Daily service will end at Shaw’s on Warwick Ave.; service to T.F. Green Airport eliminated.
• Route 14 (West Bay): Weekday service between Rte. 1A and Rte. 138 in North Kingstown and Salt Pond Plaza in Narragansett will be eliminated.
• Route 19 (Plainfield/Westminster): Weekday service to the Cranston Industrial Park (Sailor Way, Amflex Drive, and Comstock Pkwy.) will be eliminated.
• Route 27 (Broadway/Manton): Daily service will end at Stop & Shop Manton; service to Centerdale eliminated. 
• Route 50 (Douglas Ave/Bryant University): Saturday and Sunday service will end at Shaw’s (North Providence); service to Bryant University eliminated.
• Route 71 (Broad St/Pawtucket Ave): Weekday service will end at the Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center; service to Job Lot (Pawtucket) eliminated.
• Route 92 (RI College/Federal Hill/East Side): Service between Kennedy Plaza and Riverview Place on the East Side will be removed from Route 92 and instead operated as a new, separate route, Route 91. Route 91 will run on weekdays only, with service every 60 minutes and no weekend service.

Elimination of All Weekend/ Holiday Service

• Route 4 (Pawtuxet Village/Warwick Neck)
• Route 6 (Prairie/Roger Williams Park Zoo)
• Route 13 (Coventry/Arctic/CCRI)
• Route 14 (West Bay)
• Route 29 (CCRI Warwick/Conimicut)
• Route 55 (Admiral/Providence College)
• Route 71 (Broad St/Pawtucket Ave)
• Flex 203 (URI/Narragansett/S. Kingstown)

Elimination of Saturday Service Only              

• Route 18 (Union Ave)
• Route 58 (Mineral Spring/North Providence)
• Route 64 (Newport/URI Kingston)
• Flex 231 (South Aquidneck)

Elimination of Sunday/ Holiday Service Only

• Route 3 (Warwick Avenue/Oakland Beach)
• Route 16 (Bald Hill/NEIT/Quonset)
• Route 35 (Rumford/Newport Ave)
• Route 63 (Broadway/Middletown Shops)

Reduction in Trip Frequency or Number of Trips

• R-Line: Weekend frequency reduced from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes all day and every 30 minutes at night. Midday weekday service frequency will be reduced from every 10 minutes to every 12 minutes.
• Route 1 (Eddy/Hope/Benefit): Weekday midday frequency reduced from every 20 minutes to every 32. Sunday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 50 minutes.
• Route 3 (Warwick Avenue/Oakland Beach): Weekday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 55 minutes.
• Route 4 (Pawtuxet Village/Warwick Neck): Weekday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 55 minutes.
• Route 6 (Prairie/Roger Williams Park Zoo): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 17 (Dyer/Pocasset): Weekday frequency increased from every 34 minutes to every 30 minutes during AM and PM peak hours; reduced to every 50 minutes during midday and at night. Saturday frequency reduced from every 50 minutes to every 74 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 50 minutes to every 80 minutes.
• Route 18 (Union Ave): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes during peak hours to every 60 minutes all day.
• Route 19 (Plainfield/Westminster): Weekday frequency reduced from every 34 minutes to every 30 minutes during AM and PM peak hours; reduced to every 50 minutes during midday and at night. Saturday frequency reduced from every 50 minutes to every 74 minutes.  Sunday frequency reduced from every 50 minutes to every 80 minutes.
• Route 20 (Elmwood Ave./T.F. Green Airport): Weekday frequency reduced from every 15 minutes all day and every 25 minutes at night to every 15 minutes during AM and PM peak hours, every 20 minutes midday and every 30 minutes at night. Weekend frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 45 minutes.
• Route 21 (Reservoir Ave): Weekday and Saturday service frequency will be reduced from every 40 minutes to every 50 minutes. Sunday service frequency will be reduced from every 50 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 22 (Pontiac Ave): Weekday frequency reduced from every 35 minutes to every 50 minutes.
• Route 27 (Broadway/Manton): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 32 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 40-45 minutes.
• Route 28 (Broadway/Hartford): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 32 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 40-45 minutes.
• Route 30 (Arlington/Oaklawn): Saturday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 50 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 50 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 31 (Cranston St): Weekday frequency reduced from every 20 minutes to every 25 minutes during the day and every 35 minutes at night. Saturday frequency reduced from every 18 minutes to every 25-27 minutes during the day and every 35 minutes at night. Sunday frequency reduced from every 22 minutes to every 35 minutes.
• Route 32 (E. Prov/Wampanoag/Seekonk Sq.): Weekday frequency reduced from every 60 minutes to every 80 minutes.
• Route 33 (Riverside): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 40 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 34 (East Providence/Seekonk Square): Weekday frequency reduced from every 60 minutes to every 80 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 50 (Douglas Ave/Bryant University): Weekday frequency reduced from every 25 minutes to every 45 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 50-53 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 45 minutes to every 50-55 minutes.
• Route 51 (Charles St/Twin River/CCRI): Weekday frequency reduced from every 45 minutes to every 60 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 45 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 60 minutes to every 70 minutes.
• Route 54 (Lincoln/Woonsocket): Weekday frequency reduced from every 45 minutes to every 60 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 60 minutes to every 80 minutes.
• Route 55 (Admiral/Providence College) – Weekday frequency reduced from every 35 minutes to every 45 minutes.
• Route 56 (Chalkstone Ave): Weekday frequency reduced from every 20 minutes to every 25 minutes during the day and every 35 minutes at night. Saturday frequency reduced from every 18 minutes to every 25-27 minutes during the day and every 50 minutes at night. Sunday frequency reduced from every 22 minutes to every 35 minutes.
• Route 57 (Smith St): Weekday frequency reduced from every 35 minutes to every 45 minutes. Saturday frequency reduced from every 32 minutes to every 55-60 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 55 minutes.
• Route 60 (Providence/Newport): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes all day to every 35 minutes during AM and PM peak hours, every 35 minutes midday, and every 60 minutes at night. Saturday frequency reduced from every 30-35 minutes to every 35-40 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 40-50 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 64 (Newport/URI Kingston): Reduced from 9 round trips to 2 round trips, including NUWC service.
• Route 66 (URI/CCRI Warwick/Providence): Weekday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 45 minutes during the day and every 60 minutes at night. Saturday frequency reduced from every 55 minutes to every 60 minutes.
• Route 71 (Broad St/Pawtucket Ave): Weekday frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 48 minutes.
• Route 72 (Weeden/Central Falls): Weekday frequency reduced from every 20 minutes all day to every 20 minutes during AM and PM peak hours and every 24 minutes midday. Saturday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 35-40 minutes. Sunday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 48 minutes.
• Route 78 (Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence): Saturday frequency reduced from every 35 minutes to every 45 minutes.
• Route 87 (Fairmount/Walnut Hill): Weekend frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 80 minutes.
• Route 92 (RI College/Federal Hill/East Side): Route 92 will continue to serve the current alignment between Kennedy Plaza and Rhode Island College. Sunday frequency will be reduced from every 30 minutes to every 55 minutes.

Significant Span of Service Reductions (10% or more)

The number of hours that transit service is available each day on a route.

• Route 17 (Dyer/Pocasset): Saturday
• Route 19 (Plainfield/Westminster): Saturday
• Route 21 (Reservoir/Garden City/CCRI): Sunday
• Route 27 (Broadway/Manton): Weekday
• Route 30 (Arlington/Oaklawn): Sunday
• Route 33 (Riverside): Weekday and Saturday
• Route 34 (East Providence/Seekonk Square): Weekday and Saturday
• Route 50 (Douglas Ave./Bryant University): Saturday
• Route 51 (Charles St/Twin River/CCRI): Weekday
• Route 92 (RI College/Federal Hill/East Side): Weekday and Sunday

Additional Changes

• Route 28 (Broadway/Hartford): Route will terminate at the Ocean State Job Lot store on Hartford Avenue instead of the former Stop and Shop on Atwood Ave. in Johnston.
• Route 32 (E. Prov/Wampanoag/Seekonk Sq.): Weekday span will increase.
• Route 63 (Broadway/Middletown Shops): Frequency will increase from every 45 minutes to every 40 minutes. 
• Flex 281 (Woonsocket/Manville): Number of Flex vehicles will decrease from 3 to 2.

Neighborhood Impact Statements (NIS)

According to R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-4.2, RIPTA is required to prepare a neighborhood(s) impact statement. NIS are available for the following routes. Please click on the route number to view the NIS.

Route 1, 9x, 12x, 14, 19, 23, 27, 28, 59x, 65x, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 80, 88, 89, 92, 95x, Flex 203, Flex 231, and Flex 301

Title VI SAFE Analysis

RIPTA is required to complete a Title VI Service and Fare Equity (SAFE) analysis. A SAFE analysis is available for the following routes:

Route 1, 3, 4, 6, 9x, 12x, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 50, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59x, 60, 61x, 63, 64, 65x, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 78, 80, 87, 88, 89, 92, 95x and the R-Line.

PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE

All input from the public at the hearings will be submitted to RIPTA’s Board of Directors in August and the Board will vote on the proposed service reductions at a special board meeting. If approved, service changes will go into effect on September 13, 2025.

Monday, July 28

CCRI Knight Campus, 400 East Ave., Warwick  

Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Woonsocket Public Library, 303 Clinton Street, Woonsocket

Time: 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Tuesday, July 29

Newport CCRI Auditorium, One John H. Chafee Blvd., Newport

Times: 12:00pm – 1:30pm and 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Wednesday, July 30

South Kingstown Town Hall, 180 High Street, Wakefield  

Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm

West Warwick Public Library, 1043 Main St, West Warwick

Time: 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Kingston Free Library, 2605 Kingstown Road, Kingston 

Time: 5:00pm-6:30pm

Thursday, July 31

Pawtucket Public Library, Campbell Auditorium, 13 Summer Street, Pawtucket

Time: 5:00pm-6:30pm

Monday, August 4

Providence Foundation, 30 Exchange Terrace, Providence

Times: 12:00pm – 1:30pm and 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Wednesday, August 6

Barrington Public Library, 281 County Road, Barrington

Times: 12:00pm – 1:30pm and 5:00pm – 6:30pm

These hearings will be accessible to people with disabilities and people with limited English proficiency.  RIPTA will provide translation and interpreter services for the deaf and hearing impaired, provided such a request is made at least 72 hours prior to the hearing date. A request for this service can be made by calling (401) 784-9500 ex. 1203 or 800-745-5555 (RI Relay TDD).

All interested parties are invited to submit comments concerning the proposed service changes by August 6, 2025. Comments may be sent to RIPTA, Office of the CEO, 705 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI, 02907. Comments may also be sent to marketing@ripta.com or by calling (401) 784-9500 ext. 1101.