The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is seeking public input as it considers service changes, including many improvements for passengers, for January 2022.
The Authority will hold six public hearings on proposed changes to Routes 9x, 14, 20, 22, 28, 30, 51, 54, 58, 63, 73, 75, 76, 78, 80, 87, and 281. The proposed changes also include the creation of a new Route 16 that would run from Warwick to North Kingstown with stops at key destinations.
The hearings will be held afternoons and evenings on Tuesday, Oct. 12; Wednesday, Oct. 13; and Thursday, Oct. 14, in Warwick, Woonsocket and South Kingstown. The full hearing schedule is below.
The changes are part of the seasonal service changes that RIPTA makes three times a year in response to ridership patterns and public feedback. This round of proposed changes also reflects the Authority’s long-range plan to improve service in West Bay and South County communities; passengers will see many improvements. Some of the highlights include: the addition of Sunday service to Route 14 (West Bay), the addition of weekday trips to New England Institute of Tech’s Post Road campus and more frequent Sunday service on Route 20 (Elmwood Ave.), and a proposed new route, Route 16 (Bald Hill/Boston Neck), which will run from the Community College of Rhode Island’s Warwick campus to the retail plaza at the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. This new route would include stops at the new Market Basket supermarket in Warwick, Cowesett Corners Shopping Center, New England Tech’s East Greenwich campus, and Wickford Village.
Other service improvements include longer service hours on Route 22 (Pontiac Ave.) and Route 30 (Arlington/Oaklawn), and the addition of a stop at the new Market Basket in Johnston on Route 28 (Broadway/Hartford). On Route 87 (Fairmount/Walnut Hill), passengers will see far more frequent service with trips every 40 minutes as opposed to every 75 minutes. RIPTA is also proposing adding the village of Manville to the Woonsocket Flex Zone (Route 281) and adding weekend service to the zone.
“We are excited about the proposed changes we are planning for winter 2022 and we are looking forward to hearing feedback from the public,” said Greg Nordin, RIPTA’s chief of strategic advancement. “There are lots of improvements for passengers, whether it’s longer service hours on some routes, increased frequency, or better access to businesses and educational institutions.”
Nordin noted that RIPTA is still looking at the funding and staffing levels need to support the proposed changes and will be weighing public comment before the changes for January 2022 are finalized.
“Even if there are some changes that we are not able to put in place in January, they are all part of our long-range vision so they would likely be implemented in the future,” Nordin said.
For more details on the proposed changes, please visit www.ripta.com/Winter2022.
The public hearing schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Oct. 12, URI Memorial Union, 50 Lower College Road, Kingston. Hearing times: 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 13 , Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Rd., Warwick. Hearing times: 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 14 , Woonsocket Public Library, 303 Clinton St., Woonsocket. Hearing times: 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
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