TRANSIT AGENCIES ROLL INTO RHODE ISLAND

It’s all in the details.

Data was king last week as representatives of mid-size public transit authorities from across the country gathered in Newport for the annual meeting of the American Bus Benchmarking Group (ABBG). RIPTA, an ABBG member, was happy to welcome the transit professionals who attended, particularly those who were visiting Rhode Island for the first time.

The ABBG is a consortium of mid-sized bus agencies in North America that was established in 2011 to benchmark performance data and share experiences and best practices in the industry. The data that the agencies share with each other covers almost every aspect of the transit industry – from fuel consumption to “on time” performance. “The common goal is to learn from each other so we can build on what’s already working well for other transit authorities,” said Barbara Polichetti, Director of Public Affairs for RIPTA. “RIPTA’s involvement in the ABBG is another indication of how committed we are to professional development that will enable us to better serve our customers.”

Transit professionals from more than 14 agencies arrived in Rhode Island early last week, hailing from Spokane, Rochester, Orlando, Fort Worth, Nashville and more. In between long hours of number-crunching they toured RIPTA’s facilities and got glimpses of the Ocean State. Attendees were impressed with Rhode Island’s natural beauty – particularly the coastline – and some people arrived with a little bit of local information. “We’ve heard that this is the state with the coffee milk,” one attendee was overhead saying. “Where can we try some?”