The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is going back to the drawing board, after its Board of Directors postponed a vote on proposed service cuts.
The RIPTA Board was scheduled to vote this morning on a proposal to eliminate 16 bus routes and reduce service to dozens of others as part of an effort to close a $10million budget gap.
But the board decided not to take action after Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee sent the Board a letter urging members to craft a new plan.
McKee said the current plan relies too much on across-the-board cuts. He said the focus instead should be on cutting back low-performing routes, administrative belt-tightening and some fare increases.
The governor also suggested there might be more money available to support what he called a “critical” resource for Rhode Islanders.
“Pending the development of a new, more balanced proposal inclusive of the points above, we are open to continuing discussions about identifying additional short-term resources for the agency,” McKee wrote.
RIPTA released an efficiency study last week, which indicated service cuts are inevitable given the lack of other immediate cost-savings measures.
The eventual date for a RIPTA Board vote on potential service cuts has yet to be finalized.
