RIPTA riders facing fare hikes

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s board of directors voted to raise the price for weekly and monthly bus passes and require seniors with low incomes and people with disabilities to pay a reduced fare to ride the bus. The $2 base fare remains unchanged.

The vote last month came after a months-long fare study and several public hearings, and even with the increases, RIPTA will continue to operate at a loss, ecoRI News reported Dec. 31. The study aimed to research ways to simplify the set of fare products available to riders; implement new fare technologies, such as fare boxes, ticket vending machines and smart cards; incentivize riders to buy fare products that result in quicker boarding times; and maximize revenue from ridership to reduce the agency’s annual deficit.

The new fare structure will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will be implemented March 1 for full-fare riders and July 1 for others.

The second phase will occur during the next two years as new fare technologies are implemented. •

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