PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Public Transit Authority is cutting the number of daily trips on certain bus routes because they don’t have enough drivers.
The state transit agency on Thursday announced plans to temporarily reduce trip frequency on 19 routes beginning Oct. 22. By reducing the number of trips on certain routes, RIPTA hopes to avoid the last-minute cancellations which have made transit difficult for riders, including students, in recent weeks, it said in the release.
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Early morning, evening, weekend and holiday schedules will remain the same, the release stated.
The agency said it will increase the number of trips on affected routes back to normal levels once it can hire more drivers. RIPTA is currently negotiating with the union representing its bus drivers to increase hourly pay, which is intended to make it easier to hire and retain drivers.
Six more routes will also see be changed as part of the regular, triannual adjustments to RIPTA service, with either time changes or new trips.
More information on the routes affected by the cuts and the new schedules are available online at RIPTA.com/servicechanges.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
