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Ridership on fare-free RIPTA buses up 40%

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Ridership on fare-free RIPTA buses up 40%

Mar 28, 2023 | 4:58 pm ET
By Christopher Shea
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Ridership on fare-free RIPTA buses up 40%
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This February saw 176,000 riders on the R-Line. That's up 61,000 from the same time last year. (Photo courtesy of Rhode Island Public Transit Authority)

Half a year after starting a free-fare program on its busiest route, the Rhode Island Transit Authority (RIPTA) says ridership on the line has increased by nearly 40%.

In its quarterly study on the program, RIPTA notes that in February of last year, the R-Line — which connects Cranston, Providence and Pawtucket — saw 115,000 riders. This year, that number was at 176,000.

Overall, RIPTA ridership is up 7% since the introduction of free fares on the R-Line, according to the report.

“The first half of the program has shown that when we invest in our transit system, positive results follow,” Scott Avedisian, RIPTA’s CEO, said in a statement. 

The R-Line went fare-free with $2.5 million in funding passed by the General Assembly last year. 

If R-Line riders had been paying the $2 bus fare during the pilot, RIPTA would have earned about $400,000 each month — the annual equivalent of almost 5% of the entire agency’s fixed-route bus operating budget, according to the report.

A bill introduced in the Rhode Island Senate by Pawtucket Democrat Meghan Kallman seeks to make RIPTA free for all riders beginning in 2024. The bill currently sits before the Senate Finance Committee. 

Patricia Raub, the co-chair of RI Transit Riders, called the study “welcome news.” Still, she’d like to see additional studies on a less popular route.

RIPTA notes there have been reports of increased boarding times, as some people now see the R-Line as a “hop-on, hop-off” service and try to board buses in-between stops. This type of activity, along with more people riding, may offset time saved by removing fare payment.

“We need a control group,” Raub said. 

The R-Line Fare-Free Pilot Program will continue through this coming August. As the program continues, the agency’s study team will continue to collect data and prepare for a second survey on rider travel behavior changes. 

“As RIPTA continues to explore innovative strategies to increase ridership lost during the pandemic, the R-Line pilot program will provide us with important data and feedback from our riders and drivers,” Avedisian said.