RIPTA gets $2M grant for new RIde facility

WASHINGTON – The R.I. Public Transit Authority has been awarded $1,943,557 in federal aid to help with the construction of a new headquarters for the statewide RIde Paratransit Programs, according to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.
RIde vans provide on-demand transportation to elderly and disabled residents who lack other ways to get around. RIPTA assumed responsibility for the program and its 100-vehicle fleet in 2003, to help ensure proper and consistent maintenance. “It is essential that there is an infrastructure in place that can support the state’s paratransit fleet,” Reed said in a statement.
“This grant will allow for the expansion of RIPTA’s maintenance facility to ensure that our buses and vans are properly stored and maintained,” he added. “This will help make the transportation system more efficient and better able to serve the Rhode Islanders who depend on it to get to work, run errands, or go to the doctor.”
The project includes the expansion of RIPTA’s maintenance facilities and the construction of a Paratransit Operations and Support Center that will bring RIde’s administration, operations, maintenance and vehicle storage together under one roof, “making the whole program more efficient,” said RIPTA General Manager Alfred J. Moscola.
“Currently, RIde vans have to be stored outdoors, creating winter-related problems on winter days,” he added. “Once the center is built, we’ll have a place to store them inside. And the new paratransit center will provide room for a second, much needed fueling station and a second bus wash.
“We’re very excited also because the center will include a conveniently located customer-service center where the public can come for ID cards, apply for jobs, obtain bus information and purchase fare products.”
Moscola added: “RIPTA and the public it serves owe Senator Reed a big thank you for helping to obtain the funds to build a Paratransit Operations and Support Center.”
R.I. Public Transportation Authority information, including RIPTA bus schedules, is available by calling 728-9400 or visiting ripta.com.