Home Economy Economic Activity RIPTA to avoid service reductions

RIPTA to avoid service reductions

By

Jacquelyn Voghel

-

06/06/2024

Kennedy Plaza in Providence. /ELIZABETH GRAHAM — THE R.I. PUBLIC Transit Authority announced on Thursday that it will avoid previously anticipated service cuts. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Public Transit Authority is scrapping bus route reductions previously slated to go into effect later this month, the agency announced on Thursday. The announcement follows a monthslong rally by transit advocates to sustain current services; a wage bump for RIPTA bus drivers and subsequent rise in job applicants; and an updated

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PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Public Transit Authority is scrapping bus route reductions previously slated to go into effect later this month, the agency announced on Thursday. The announcement follows a monthslong rally by transit advocates to sustain current services; a wage bump for RIPTA bus drivers and subsequent rise in job applicants; and an updated budget proposal that last week allocated an extra $5 million to the agency, which faces an $18 million shortfall in fiscal 2025. The planned cuts would have impacted 20 routes serving Providence and Kent counties. RIPTA said these reductions were necessary due to a shortage of bus drivers, which occurred alongside declining ridership and financial issues at the quasi-public agency. In late 2023, the agency voted to increase its hourly wage for new drivers from $21.71 to $25.33, or a 16.7% increase, which RIPTA reported led to a significant increase in job applications and new hires. The transit authority received another boost last week when a House panel submitted an updated fiscal 2025 budget proposal, which allocated an additional $5 million to RIPTA on top of the $10 million originally included in Gov. Daniel J. McKee's proposed budget. That financial infusion won applause from transit advocates, including the Save RIPTA coalition. Advocates have said that RIPTA's challenges around finances and ridership stem from chronic underfunding. In a statement, Save RIPTA said that the additional earmark would help to avoid "the prospect of devastating service cuts, massive job losses and the imperiled prosperity of Rhode Islanders." The statement continued, "As we celebrate a small victory, we know that a much larger fight lies ahead." While that total of $15 million still sits $3 million below RIPTA's budget shortfall, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said that the agency's leadership had told legislators it would be sufficient for avoiding service cuts. In addition to financial troubles, RIPTA faced further turbulence in the past year when former CEO Scott Avedisian resigned from his position after he was charged in a hit-and-run incident. Christopher Durand, who served as the organization's chief financial officer, has since stepped into the CEO role on an interim basis. Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.