Some RIPTA fares rising

March 1, 2016 8:10 am

News Staff

By Kainani Stevens

kstevens@abc6.com

March 1st may signal the beginning of Spring, but it also means paying up if you use Rhode Island Public Transportation.

Select RIPTA fares are going up, as well as on-board transfer fees, which is not popular among riders that spoke to ABC6 in Kennedy Plaza.

"My first thought is, am I going to be able to afford it?" said one RIPTA rider.

"It’s crazy because not only is the transfer going up 50 cents, but the fares are expensive as it is. Everything is going up," said another.

"I have to catch two buses then I have to catch a different bus back from CCRI to my home, so the increase is definitely going to affect me, because I don’t have the income to afford that," explained another.

On-board transfer fees will increase from 50 cents to one dollar, weekly passes are going from 23 to 25 dollars, and a monthly pass will not set you back 70 dollars.

These fare increases are just the first in a wave of hikes as more will hit riders this summer.

Starting July 1st, elderly and disabled passengers will no longer be allowed to ride for free. The RIPTA board unanimously approved the vote to now charge disabled and elderly riders 50 cents a trip–something many are concerned with.

"I think the money should be coming from elsewhere. I mean, the income bracket of the people who have to take the bus is low, so I think its kind of backwards in my opinion," said one rider.

"I ride the bus quite frequently to my doctor’s appointments and physical therapy, so I’m constantly using RIPTA, and this increase will definitely affect me financially," added another.

There are currently about 15,000 active free passes in the state, and last year, their holders made 5.8 million trips–a quarter of all bus trips taken–at an estimated annual loss to RIPTA of just under $9 million, according to a fare study released last summer.

RIPTA’s CEO says it hasn’t had a fare increase since 2010.