New bus service proposals aim to make the commute of students across Providence’s Public School District more efficient. Additional bus routes and increased frequency were also proposed, following potential cuts earlier in the year due to a driver shortage.
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority held public hearings on the proposed service changes on Wednesday and Thursday.
If the changes are enacted, Routes 10X and 28 would have additions to serve the new Amazon Fulfillment Center in Johnston, a deviation on Route 29 would be cut, Routes 35 and 78 would no longer travel inbound on I-195 and Routes 72 and 78 would experience increases in trip frequency.
“The vast majority of these changes are service improvements,” Cristy Raposo Perry, director of communications and public outreach for RIPTA, wrote in an email to The Herald. “Budgetary considerations were not a factor in the proposed Route 29 segment elimination,” which was cut due to low ridership, Raposo Perry added.
“We’re seeing a lot of positive changes,” said Amy Joy Glidden, an advocate with RI Transit Riders. Glidden was pleased with Route 78’s increased frequency, especially as the closure of the Washington Bridge continues to impact traffic, she said.
Some afternoon bus services from Hope High School, Mount Pleasant High School, E-cubed Academy and Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School would no longer transfer through Kennedy Plaza. Instead, they will operate directly to neighborhood bus routes.
RIPTA’s Director of Service Planning and Scheduling Ed Brown said the change aims to make afternoon transit “a little more efficient for the students.” Ed Brown said RIPTA will work directly with the schools to ensure students and families are aware of the changes. Students will also be provided with maps of the new routes.
Glidden noted that since the Rhode Island Department of Education took over PPSD schools in 2019, schools have started operating on more similar schedules. As a consequence, “there were now a massive amount of students at Kennedy Plaza, which caused some problems,” she said.
While Glidden said she doesn’t blame the students for issues and fights in Kennedy Plaza, she said it’s a “good solution” to have students going directly to neighborhood routes instead of all ending up in the Plaza.
“Getting students between home and school faster without needing to stop for transfers downtown is a huge win,” said Liza Burkin, an organizer with the Providence Streets Coalition, a transit advocacy group. “We should be trying to provide as much direct service as possible — one-seat rides are always better than transferring.”
Earlier this year, RIPTA had plans to eliminate 11 routes and reduce service on several others. In June, RIPTA announced that it would no longer move forward with those reductions.
“We have successfully addressed our labor shortage and are now able to improve statewide transit service and reliability,” Raposo Perry wrote.
From Jan. 1 to September of this year, new programs from RIPTA led to the hiring of “37 new drivers into the paratransit program and the transfer of 39 paratransit drivers to fixed-route,” Raposo Perry wrote in a previous statement to The Herald. During this time, RIPTA had nine retirements in fixed-route and one in paratransit, she added.
“We’re really grateful that the driver wage increase … and the new training methods have allowed RIPTA to hire more drivers over the past year,” said Burkin.
Both Glidden and Burkin said there is a need for continued advocacy to adequately fund RIPTA.
RIPTA entered fiscal year 2025 with a $3.1 million shortfall. Burkin expressed fears that improvements at RIPTA are “gonna be under threat again next year if Governor McKee doesn’t fund the operational deficit.” The state’s overall budget is expected to be constrained in FY2026, with an approximate $250 million overall anticipated deficit.
For 2025, the Providence Streets Coalition “will be at the statehouse advocating strongly for RIPTA just like we were last year,” Burkin said.
Ciara Meyer is a section editor from Saratoga Springs, New York. She plans on concentrating in Statistics and English Nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
