February 18, 2013

Press Releases

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is urging the public to provide feedback on how to improve transit services in Rhode Island. As part of a statewide review of transit services called a Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA), RIPTA staff is hoping to hear from both users and non-users of the system.

“As part of this study, RIPTA has been working to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our bus system, and to determine where we might redirect resources to better serve our customers and attract more riders to our network,” according to Mark Therrien, AGM of Planning at RIPTA. “Public input is a critical part of this process as our goal is to put service where it would best serve the people of our state.” The study has undertaken a detailed review process to identify where people live and work, how each bus route is performing today, and where changes might possibly be made to better serve riders. Ideas under consideration can be found on the Projects page of RIPTA’s website at http://www.ripta.com/coa-project-documents. Members of the public can go online to review and provide comment on two alternative service scenarios, letting RIPTA know which ideas they like best. Each scenario is designed to work within RIPTA’s existing budget, and the intent is to direct transit resources where they would be most effective. Community meetings taking place February 25 th through March 6th are another opportunity to learn more about proposed changes and for the public to provide input on what might work best for them.

Public input has been a key part of the COA. In August and September, RIPTA surveyed nearly 10,000 users of the bus system in order to better understand where people need to travel, and what type of services they desire. Throughout the fall, over 700 people posted comments on RIPTA’s website, providing feedback on detailed evaluations of each bus route. RIPTA staff will submit specific final recommendations for improving the statewide transit network based on comments collected from the public.

“With the public’s help, RIPTA can better design our statewide transit network to support our passengers and attract more riders,” said Mayor Avedisian, RIPTA Board Chairman. “We expect the results of this study will make our service easier to use, faster and more convenient for our customers.”

COMMUNITY MEETING SCHEDULE

University of Rhode Island

Feinstein Providence Campus

Auditorium

80 Washington Street

Providence, RI 02903

Monday, February 25, 2013

12:00PM – 2:00PM

Warwick City Hall

Council Chambers

3275 Post Road

Warwick, RI 02886

Monday, February 25, 2013

5:00PM-7:00PM

Narragansett Town Hall

Assembly Room

25 Fifth Avenue

Narragansett, RI 02882

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

5:00PM-7:00PM

CCRI Newport Campus

Auditorium

One John H. Chafee Blvd.

Newport, RI 02840

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

5:00PM-7:00PM

RIPTA Headquarters

705 Elmwood Avenue

Providence, RI 02907

Thursday, February 28, 2013

5:00PM-7:00PM

Glocester Senior Center

1210 Putnam Pike Chepachet, RI 02814

Monday, March 4, 2013

6:00PM-8:00PM

Barrington Public Library

2nd Floor Auditorium

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

6:00PM – 8:00PM

To learn more about the COA, please visit the project website at http://www.ripta.com/coa-project-documents. To sign-up to be part of the project mailing list, please email coa@ripta.com.

For more information on schedules or other RIPTA services, please call 781-9400 or visit ripta.com