This article by Christopher Shear was originally published in Current, Rhode Island. It’s shortened.
To cover the $10 million deficit, Rhode Island Public Transport (RIPTA) on Thursday created a broad plan to cut services.
And how deep are they? Well, it might be easy to say what’s not in the chopping block.
That’s because the agency proposes to cut or cut 58 rooms (about 86%) out of the 67 routes. It offers connections from Block Island Ferry to service the weekend Roger Williams Park Zoo, and a trolley connecting Newport’s North End to the city’s beaches.
Route 11 will be completely eliminated. 30 routes reduce the frequency or number of trips. Half a dozen routes serving the parks and rides will be eliminated or round-trip cuts.
However, it remains unclear how many jobs are on the line. [RIPTA CEO Christopher Durand] He had previously told reporters he could let go of 90 to 100 employees, but he returned his predictions on Thursday.
The proposed changes to services will arrive four days before a series of statewide hearings are scheduled to begin. The first will be held Monday, July 28th at Community College on the Knights Campus of Rhode Island in Warwick from noon to 1:30pm
After these hearings, Durand said the board would consider approving the final plan when it hosts a special meeting on August 7th.
If the panel moves forward with recommendations, the cut will take effect on September 13th.
But Durand told the board that fare increases will remain off the table, at least for now.
“That’s what we’re going to take a little more time to make sure that whatever we do is thoughtful and effective,” Durand said.
The agency will conduct a survey to analyze the impact of potential fare increases on “ridership, revenue and equity,” according to the announcement of the proposed service cuts.
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