Rhode Island Public Transit Authority

Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Explore the Ocean State with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority! Account monitored Mon - Fri.

Welcome to Providence, Class of 2030! Our travel training team had a great time at the Brown University Campus Resource ...
09/06/2026

Welcome to Providence, Class of 2030!

Our travel training team had a great time at the Brown University Campus Resource Fair this week where we told students about all the ways they can get around the state with RIPTA for free with their student ID.

Funded by participating colleges and universities, RIPTA's University Pass Program (U-Pass), allows students and/or faculty at participating schools to receive transit benefits. Students can ride using their student ID or purchase reduced fare products on campus, depending on the school.

For a list of participating schools and universities, visit: RIPTA.com/Students

SERVICE ALERT: RIPTA will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule TOMORROW, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. All RIPTA Off...
09/06/2026

SERVICE ALERT: RIPTA will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule TOMORROW, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. All RIPTA Offices, except for the Customer Service Kiosk in the Newport Transportation Center, will be closed.

Providence/Newport Ferry Shuttle
The RIPTA shuttle will operate on a holiday schedule on Monday, September 7 and will switch to a fall schedule on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Details: ripta.com/node/1261

60 Stories: Years in the Making, Part 1 Just as electric and gas-powered cars, buses, and trains operate side by side to...
09/06/2026

60 Stories: Years in the Making, Part 1

Just as electric and gas-powered cars, buses, and trains operate side by side today, so too did stagecoaches, horse-drawn buses, trains, and pedestrians navigate the streets of Rhode Island in the mid-1800s.

Early Regional and In-State Travel

By 1832, steam-powered trains were ferrying passengers between Boston and Providence. Within the state, passengers could travel by stagecoach via prearranged routes operated by private companies on investor-funded turnpikes and toll roads.

By 1845, these fixed stagecoach routes brought passengers to a number of destinations, for example from Providence to Chepachet, or North Providence to Johnston. Wealthy Rhode Islanders preferred to travel by private horse carriages and stagecoaches.

The People’s Carriage

Mass transit didn't catch on here right out of the gate despite horse-drawn railroad cars moving passengers through New York City as early as 1832. By 1861, the RI General Assembly created the state’s first horse-drawn omnibus line – that is, a privately owned, horse-powered vehicle designed to carry a large number of paying passengers along a fixed route on public roads according to a set schedule.

While omnibuses set a precedent for a cheap way for everyday Rhode Islanders to get around, speedy travel really became possible in 1864 with the implementation of horsecars - larger public vehicles with small metal wheels that ran along iron or steel rails on public streets.

Horsecars could haul more people with fewer horses for a smoother ride and helped make urban commuting an everyday reality for the masses. Known as the “people’s carriages,” horsecars made affordable travel possible for working and middle class Rhode Islanders.

Follow RIPTA for the next installment of our Years in the Making series as we celebrate 60 years, one story at a time. Learn more at RIPTA.com/60Years.

Sources - Small State, Big History: The Omnibus in Rhode Island: Crucial Urban Link by Dr. Scott Molloy; Rhode Island’s First Horsecar, Providence to Pawtucket by Dr. Scott Molloy; From Early Turnpikes to the Stagecoaches by Dr. Scott Molloy; Providence Public Library Digital Collections

09/04/2026

Thanks, APTA! Paul P. Skoutelas, American Public Transportation Association President and Chief Executive Officer, joined our dedication along with federal, local, and state leaders at RIPTA headquarters this week as we celebrated a historic federal investment that added fifty new, state-of-the-art paratransit vehicles to our fleet. Thank you for the work you do to advance public transit. P.S. - We appreciate the birthday wishes!

POSTED 9/4/26 - Routes 13 and 23 will be on detour due to parades in the West Warwick area during the following time per...
09/04/2026

POSTED 9/4/26 - Routes 13 and 23 will be on detour due to parades in the West Warwick area during the following time periods:

- Sunday, September 6, 2026: 10:30 AM–1:30 PM
- Sunday, September 6, 2026: 7:30 PM–11:30 PM
- Monday, September 7, 2026: 10:30 AM–1:30 PM

Outbound trips will travel the regular route to Providence St. and New London Ave., continue onto New London Ave., turn right onto Factory St., left onto Main St. and then resume the regular route.

Reverse on Inbound.

https://www.ripta.com/alerts

SERVICE ALERT: RIPTA will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. All RIPTA Offic...
09/04/2026

SERVICE ALERT: RIPTA will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. All RIPTA Offices, except for the Customer Service Kiosk in the Newport Transportation Center, will be closed.

Providence/Newport Ferry Shuttle
The RIPTA shuttle will operate on a holiday schedule on Monday, September 7 and will switch to a fall schedule on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Details: ripta.com/node/1261

The R-Line is on detour due to construction.Outbound will travel the regular route, turn right on Pawtucket Ave., left o...
09/04/2026

The R-Line is on detour due to construction.

Outbound will travel the regular route, turn right on Pawtucket Ave., left on Carver St., right on Main St., and resume regular route.

Inbound will travel the regular route, turn left on Trenton St., right on Pawtucket Ave., left on Main St., and resume regular route.



Route 18 is on detour due to construction.

Outbound trips will travel regular route to Cranston St. and Chapin Ave., stay on Cranston St., right on Messer St., left on Union Ave., to regular route.

Inbound trips will travel the regular route to Union Ave. and Ellery St., stay on Union Ave., right on Messer St., left on Cranston St., and resume regular route.



Route 33 will be on detour due to paving.

Outbound will travel on Pawtucket Ave., turn right on Crown Ave., left on Veterans Memorial Hwy. to Pawtucket Ave., and resume regular route.

Inbound is on the regular route.



Routes 50 and 58 are on detour due to construction near Shaw's Plaza.

Outbound trips will travel the regular route to Lubec St., turn left onto Lubec St., right onto Smithfield Rd., right onto the Plaza to service the Shaw’s bus stop, exit and turn right onto Smithfield Rd., right onto Cushing St., left onto Douglas Ave., and then resume the regular route.

Inbound trips will travel the regular route to Cushing St., turn right onto Cushing St., left onto Smithfield Rd., left onto the Plaza to service the Shaw’s bus stop, exit and turn left onto Smithfield Rd., left onto Burns St., right onto Douglas Ave., and then resume the regular route.



Route 50 is on detour until 4:00 PM due to construction.

Inbound trips will travel the regular route to Douglas Ave. and Cushing St., turn right onto Cushing St., left onto Smithfield Ave., service Shaw's Plaza, exit onto Admiral St., turn left onto Burns St., right onto Douglas Ave., and then resume the regular route.

Outbound trips will travel the regular route to Douglas Ave. and Lubec St., turn left onto Lubec St., right onto Admiral St., service Shaw's Plaza, exit onto Smithfield Ave., turn right onto Cushing St., left onto Douglas Ave., and then resume the regular route.

Save the Date for our Open House!Explore RIPTA Headquarters, see our fleet, and meet the people behind public transit at...
09/03/2026

Save the Date for our Open House!

Explore RIPTA Headquarters, see our fleet, and meet the people behind public transit at our 60th Anniversary Open House on Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 10am - 1pm at RIPTA headquarters, 705 Elmwood Avenue in Providence.

This free, family-friendly event will give the community a behind-the-scenes look at RIPTA and the people who keep Rhode Island moving. Guests will have the opportunity to tour RIPTA facilities, explore the agency’s fleet, learn more about public transportation, and meet the people behind RIPTA.

The event will feature:
- Touch-a-Bus: Get up close and explore RIPTA’s vehicles.
- Walking Tour of RIPTA Headquarters: See where the work behind Rhode Island’s public transit system happens.
- Behind-the-Scenes Van Tour: Take a look behind the scenes at RIPTA operations, including a ride through the bus wash.
- Electric Bus In-Line Charging Station Tour: Learn about the technology powering RIPTA’s electric buses.
- Raffles & Giveaways
- Food Trucks
- Special Appearance by Rhode Island FC mascot, Chip the Harbor Seal.

Registration is required. Sign up today at: tinyurl.com/5acntawh

9/3/26 - Route 76 is on detour today. Buses will not use Norfolk Ave. due to low wires.Inbound trips will travel on Cent...
09/03/2026

9/3/26 - Route 76 is on detour today. Buses will not use Norfolk Ave. due to low wires.

Inbound trips will travel on Central Ave. and Daggett Ave., turn left onto Daggett Ave., right onto Suffolk Ave., right onto Grand Ave., left onto Central Ave. and resume the regular route.

Outbound trips will remain on the regular route.

https://www.ripta.com/alerts

9/3/26 - Route 72 is on detour today due to a road closure on Silver Spring St. at Royal Little Drive.Outbound trips wil...
09/03/2026

9/3/26 - Route 72 is on detour today due to a road closure on Silver Spring St. at Royal Little Drive.

Outbound trips will travel the regular route to Silver Spring St. and Royal Little Dr., turn right onto Royal Little Dr., left onto Felix Mirando Way, right onto Silver Spring St., and then resume the regular route.

Inbound trips will travel the regular route to Silver Spring St. and Felix Mirando Way, turn left onto Felix Mirando Way, right onto Royal Little Dr., left onto Silver Spring St., and then resume the regular route.

https://www.ripta.com/alerts

Address

705 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, RI
02907

Telephone

(401) 781-9400

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rhode Island Public Transit Authority posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Rhode Island Public Transit Authority:

Shortcuts

Share

Category