Tuesday, August 01, 2023

GoLocalProv News Team and News Editor Kate Nagle

A pilot program funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in Rhode Island is ending — and transportation advocates are raising concerns. 

Last year, the Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority (RIPTA) announced with much fanfare — and a press conference with elected officials — that it was launching a year-long free fare pilot program along the R-Line, its busiest bus route. 

The free rides are slated to end on August 31, and riders will now have to pay once again. 

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“The General Assembly allocated $2.5 million of one-time federal funds (ARPA) toward a year-long free fare pilot program on the R-Line, which connects Providence and Pawtucket,” RIPTA spokesperson Cristy Raposo told GoLocal this week. “RIPTA is currently working with RIDOT and OMB to analyze all available data during this pilot to determine whether it is feasible to extend it.”

“This free-riding program was a success and carries more passengers than any person would have expected,” said Joe Cole, Vice President of the ATU 618, the union that represents RIPTA bus rivers.

“Why have a pilot program, that has proven successful, eliminated?” said Cole. “This past February the R-Line carried 176 thousand passengers.”

Cole pointed to the timing of the free-ride announcement in the summer of 2022. 

“It was an election year, remember,” said Cole. 

From Flush With ARPA Funds to Back to Reality 

Last September, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) noted FY 2023 total annual spending exceeded $13 billion, in contrast to total annual spending below $10 billion in FY 2019, the last fiscal year unaffected by the pandemic. 

“Despite recent strong revenues and excess funds, now is the time for the governor and General Assembly to develop sustainable long-term plans for our largest areas of spending—health and human services and K-12 education—and commit greater resources to the oversight and execution of the dozens of new projects and programs funded in the FY 2023 budget,” said RIPEC CEO Michael DiBiase at the time. 

Rhode Island State Senator Meghan Kallman (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, Providence) — who sponsored the free R-Line pilot bill in the 2022 General Assembly session — said RIPTA could choose to extend the pilot program without legislative approval. 

“It is within the board’s purview to expand it,” who said RIPTA’s explanation that it was legislatively funded was a “nice punt.” 

“They can do what they want. We give them money, and one of our jobs is to work with them,” said Kallman. 

Kallman pointed out that RIPTA recently made the decision to extend its “Ride Free Central Falls” transit pilot program through the end of the year. 

This past General Assembly session, Kallman introduced legislation to make RIPTA free for riders; it was scheduled for Senate Finance consideration but was held for further study. 

“We need to figure out a sustainable long-term funding solution for RIPTA that is no surprise to anybody. What passenger fares generate in a system this size, I wouldn’t say it’s negligible, but if you look at most well-run transit systems around the world, they’re not running on passenger fares,” said Kallman. 

“The preliminary study that was done six months in was that ridership [on the R-Line] was up over 40%. There are all sorts of reasons we should be making transit easier and cheaper to use. What I would like to see in this upcoming session are proposals as to how we are going to fund an excellent transit system going forward. I would like to see the [free] R-line extended. I think the data warrants that,” said Kallman. 

According to Cole, he believes that riders changed their behavior — and instead of using other routes, specifically the 1-72-78 lines, they opted to ride the R-Line instead, which meant not only were people riding free, they were not paying their usual fare on the other lines. 

The bottom line for Cole is his drivers.

“If the program ends, I only hope our passengers don’t take it out on our drivers that will have to try to collect the fares now,” he said. 

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