A SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS...

Even a small act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life, and that’s why RIPTA is giving kudos to driver Ed Mello who possibly saved a life Monday by stopping to give a young lady a ride.

Mello, a driver for RIPTA for five years, was on Route 60 headed toward Newport shortly before 4 p.m. when he noticed a woman starting to walk across the Mount Hope Bridge which connects Bristol and Portsmouth. He said he often stops to give pedestrians approaching the bridge a “courtesy lift” because it’s safer for pedestrians and vehicles alike. When he stopped this time, however, he noticed that the woman was crying, shaking and seemed distraught. She mentioned something about possibly wanting to jump off the bridge but Mello, aided by a passenger, convinced her to get on the bus. Once she was safely on the bus, he called RIPTA’s dispatch office which then notified local police.

“I told her to just take her time and please get on the bus and we’d help her find some help,” Mello said in an interview. Officers were waiting for the bus on the other side of the bridge to make sure the woman got the medical attention she needed. “I don’t know what would have happened, but afterwards I felt like I had made a difference – and that’s part of my job. Every day I try to find a way to help people, even if it’s just saying good morning to people when they start their day,” Mello said. “Sometimes it’s the little things.”

Raymond Studley, RIPTA’s CEO, commended Mello’s actions, saying, “We hear a lot about our drivers – both good and bad – every day, but the fact is that because of the nature of our business and the number of drivers we have on the road, we have the potential to impact many people. Sometimes theses acts of kindness go unnoticed, but this one didn’t. I commend Mr. Mello and we wish the best of health to that passenger.”

How Do You Wrap A…Bus?

As we celebrate 50 years of serving the public as the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority we’ve wrapped a few presents for the community – buses! Thanks to contributions from community partners, five buses in our fleet now feature a special anniversary wrap with historical photographs and our anniversary logo. We’re hoping to use these buses for some promotions that will help us thank our passengers for riding with us.

So, how do you wrap a roughly 40-foot bus? It takes a two-person crew at least six hours, a lot of patience and a lot precision. Thanks to our friends at Atom Media Group you can watch the whole process condensed into about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

BIKE CHALLENGE UPDATE!

Well, we finally caught up with our three top prize winners in our 2016 Bike To Work Challenge! Between vacation travel and a lot of summertime bike riding, it took us a bit to catch up with them but we will be posting their pictures on Facebook this week –https://www.facebook.com/RideRIPTA/ – so please stay tuned! We’d like to thank our 189 participants for their commitment to the environment, their health and fun! All total they logged about 5,000 bike trips over the course of the month-long challenge. Below are a few more interesting statistics that we compiled.

2016 BIKE CHALLENGE STATISTICS
189 participants
5,000 bike trips taken
Average trip length was 4.5 miles
Estimated gallons of gas saved 996
Calories burned 787,634

ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ATAC)

The Rhode Island Accessible Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC), an independent body not affiliated with RIPTA, strives to improve accessibility in the various forms of public transportation in Rhode Island. The ATAC is expected to assist and monitor RIPTA Management with its compliance with all the applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other civil rights laws as they apply to public transportation systems in Rhode Island. The next ATAC meeting will be held on Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 4pm to 6pm at 705 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI; anyone is welcome to attend. For more information on this committee, click here.

RIPTA IN THE COMMUNITY

Wheels at Work Rolls in to Providence Children’s Museum!

Kids get behind the wheel of working vehicles big and small during a special summer series at Providence Children’s Museum. Climb aboard a fire truck, sit atop a backhoe loader, examine the equipment in an ambulance, and meet the vehicle’s operators. Explore a different vehicle each Wednesday morning in August. Get into the driver’s seat of a RIPTA bus on Wednesday, August 31 and check out its impressive dashboard.

Visit www.ChildrenMuseum.org for more information and a full calendar of events.

Mayor Jorge Elorza’s Seniors Day in the Park

RIPTA is excited to participate in this event which will be held on Saturday, August 27 at the Roger William’s Park Botanical Gardens tent. Starting at 10AM, stop by the RIPTA table and say hello!

For more information on this event, please contact the Department of Senior Services at 401-421-2489.

DETOURS

DOMINICAN PARADE – SUNDAY, AUGUST 7

RIPTA will detour the R-Line (Broad/North Main) from 9am until 12pm.

Details here.

RIPTA CELEBRATES VICTORY DAY – MONDAY, AUGUST 8

RIPTA will operate all regular fixed-route buses and trolleys on a Sunday/Holiday schedule on Monday, August 8, 2016 in observance of Victory Day. RIPTA offices, including the Photo Identification and Ticket Sellers Offices in Kennedy Plaza, will not be staffed on the holiday.

Click here for details.

WORLD OF X GAMES: KROB FLIPS PROVIDENCE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 - SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

Routes 1, 14, 21, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 66, 72, 78, 92 and the R-Line will be detoured from 7PM on Friday, August 12, 2016 through Midnight on Saturday, August 13, 2016. During this time, all bus stops on East Approach and Exchange Terrace will be moved to the opposed side of Exchange Terrace, across the street from Kennedy Plaza. BMX Legend Kevin Robinson will make a Guinness World Record attempt for the longest ramp-to-ramp, no-handed backflip on a BMX bike at this event. For more information on this event, visit www.xgames.com.

AS220’S ANNUAL FOO FEST - SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

RIPTA will detour Routes 20, 22 and the R-Line all day and night to accommodate AS220’s Annual Foo Fest. Empire Street will be closed during this time.

Details here.