Transit advocates in Rhode Island are concerned about looming service cuts to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.
After Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed budget left RIPTA with a roughly $32.6 million deficit for fiscal year 2026, state House lawmakers on Tuesday passed a budget that provided RIPTA with an extra $15 million, in part by raising the state gas tax. But that would still leave the agency with an $18 million dollar budget gap on $159.1 million in expenses.
In a letter to state lawmakers, RIPTA CEO Chris Durand said an efficiency study determined that under those conditions, the agency would have no choice but to make service reductions.
“The study has concluded that 150,000 service hours, or 20% of all fixed route service would need to be reduced to close the gap,” Durand said. “This will mean a reduction to the fixed route workforce by approximately 90 employees to get the service inline with financial resources.”
Amy Glidden, chair of the Rhode Island Transit Riders advocacy group, says cutting bus routes would be devastating for low-income Rhode Islanders.
“RIPTA is how people get to shelters,” Glidden said. “It’s how people get to [the Rhode Island Department of Human Services]. It’s how people get to their jobs. What we’re going to see as a result of these service cuts is people are going to lose their jobs.”
Glidden says she’s especially concerned about the long-term impact of not fully-funding RIPTA. In particular, she believes service reductions will force RIPTA to cut service to smaller communities that have lower ridership.
“We’re worried that RIPTA could enter the transit death spiral if these cuts are made,” Glidden said. “Where you have poor service, it leads to lower revenue and you just have more and more cuts until you don’t have a bus system anymore.”
The Rhode Island Senate plans to vote on the budget Friday. If approved, the next step will be the governor’s desk.
Glidden says she’s hoping state lawmakers will revisit RIPTA’s budget during a special session this summer.
