HAPPY HOLIDAYS

RIPTA wishes you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season. May you be surrounded by loved ones and find time for sharing treasured moments together. Thank you for supporting RIPTA. We look forward to your continued support in 2017!

NEWPORT TRANSPORTATION AND VISITORS CENTER CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY MEETING

More than 50 people gathered for a community meeting in Newport this week for an update on our major construction project at the Newport Transportation and Visitors Center. RIPTA’s Board of Directors recently voted to award the construction contract to Tower Construction Corporation of Cranston, RI. The roughly $6 million project, which is being funded by a 90-percent federal grant with a 10-percent match from the City of Newport, will repair the exterior area of the transit hub and visitor center on America’s Cup Avenue. The project is also being supported by contributions from Bike Newport and Discover Newport.

The exterior of the facility, which originally consisted of sail-like canopies covering bus berths and pedestrian areas, was badly damaged in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy. Since then, with the help of Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation, RIPTA has pursued grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration under a program designated specifically for projects that will repair and improve the resiliency of transit facilities damaged by Sandy. The grant was awarded in two stages and over the past year, RIPTA has been working with the City of Newport and neighborhood groups on the design process.

Construction is slated to begin before the end of the year, and the goal is to have the work completed by June 2017, before the start of Newport’s summer tourist season. During construction, the Visitor Center will be open for business. RIPTA buses and RIPTA bus stops will be temporarily relocated to America’s Cup Avenue. RIPTA will be providing passengers and the public with more specific information on the temporary bus locations shortly.

RIPTA’S WINTER SERVICE CHANGES TO TAKE EFFECT SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2016

RIPTA will implement winter service changes effective Saturday, December 24, 2016. RIPTA makes regular service adjustments three times a year in response to seasonal changes and/or passenger use. Click here to see if your route is affected.

RIPTA IN THE COMMUNITY

FIFTH ANNUAL STUFF A BUS A HUGE SUCCESS!

Last week, two days before Thanksgiving, a caravan of buses and tractor trailer trucks pulled out of RIPTA with horns blaring. They were headed to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, loaded with non-perishable food items collected during the 33-hour Stuff-a-Bus Food Drive we held in partnership with Ocean State Job Lot and iHeartMedia. With an escort from the Providence Police, the convoy made the short trip to the Food Bank on Niantic Avenue where an army of volunteers unloaded the trucks and buses.

The final tally was 11 ,888 poundsof food (nearly 6 tons!) collected in the buses we had stationed at the Ocean State Job Lot stores in Coventry, North Kingstown and Johnston for the duration of the event. Plus, Job Lot donated a truckload of food for every bus we filled so the grand total was approximately 101,800 pounds of food donated for Rhode Islanders in need this holiday season.

We couldn’t have done it without our community partners, and most importantly, we could not have done it without the help of every single person who made a donation – whether it was one canned good or cartons of cereal boxes. This made our fifth annual Stuff A Bus food drive our biggest ever!

The Food Bank serves about 60,000 Rhode Islanders each month and one in three of those helped is a child under the age of 18.

Thank you to everyone who participated. You helped us make this holiday season better for so many people. (Click here to visit our YouTube channel to see a quick slide show of volunteers unloading all the donations!)

TEDDY BEAR TOSS

In the spirit of holiday giving, join RIPTA and Providence College Friars Hockey on Friday, December 2 at Schneider Arena for a Teddy Bear Toss. Bring a teddy bear to the 7:05pm game and receive some great RIPTA swag. All stuffed bears will be donated to the West End Community Center.

Details here.

HELP MAKE THE SEASON BRIGHT!

RIPTA is partnering with WBRU for its Annual Toy Drive to benefit the West End Community Center (WECC) in Providence. Brighten the life of a child by donating a new, unwrapped toy!

Toys can be dropped off now through December 21, 2016 at the West End Community Center, 109 Bucklin Street in Providence, Monday through Friday, 6:30am – 5:30pm. Donations can also be dropped off at RIPTA’s Headquarters, 705 Elmwood Avenue in Providence, Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm.

Toys will be distributed as Christmas gifts to the less fortunate children enrolled in WECC’s programs.

The West End Community Center is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and donations are tax deductible.

DETOURS

RIPTA ACCOMMODATES DOWNTOWN JINGLE 5K - SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4

RIPTA will detour Routes 1, 3, 6, 17, 19, 20, 22, 27, 28, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 60, 66, 78, 92 and the R-Line in to accommodate the Downtown Jingle 5K Road Race. All RIPTA bus lines are to expect minor delays around Kennedy Plaza during this time.

Details here.

RIPTA TO RUN HOLIDAY SERVICE SCHEDULE ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2016 AND SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017

RIPTA will operate all regular fixed-route bus service on a Sunday/Holiday schedule on Sunday, December 25, 2016 in observance of Christmas Day and Sunday, January 1, 2017 in observance of New Year’s Day. RIPTA offices, including the Photo Identification and Ticket Sales Offices in Kennedy Plaza, will not be staffed on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Also, the Flex Service reservation line (1-877-906-FLEX) and the RIde reservation line (461-9760) will not be staffed on either holiday.

Click here for details.