Why don't more people use RIPTA?

[Garris]

I really don't know what it is. Honestly on any given night taking the Red Line out of Boston there will be people more offensive than the people on RIPTA. Yet somehow, being in a train car instead of on the bus there is less negative connotation.

Well, at least in NY (I don't know about Boston), there were often transit police on the trains, and they weren't passive officers, but would often rotate through the cars and were quite proactive. If you felt things were sketchy in your car, you could always walk down to the next one or the one after and eventually hit one with an officer.

In NYC, stops were often close together as well, so if you felt really uncomfortable, you could always get off quickly and just pick up the next subway 10 minutes or so later...

The NYC bus system was much better, and felt much safer, as well. Again, though, I think the ratio of "normal working people" to unstable/dangerous people riding the NY system was much higher than is the case in Providence, unfortunately.

- Garris

[Cotuit]

Well, at least in NY (I don't know about Boston), there were often transit police on the trains, and they weren't passive officers, but would often rotate through the cars and were quite proactive.

When I was living in New York the transit police were carrying machine guns, quite proactive I would say.

The T Police are a whole other subject. There are lots of operational problems within the police force, their repsonse times are terrible, and they often wait for Boston Polic before they will take any action (you're eithe r a police force or your not). People have taken to calling BPD directly to report problems. There's a move to merge the T Police with the State Police (as has been done with other police forces like the Registry Police), but there is resistance about this for various reasons from all sides.

On the T you also don't have the luxury of moving to another car while in motion like you can in New York (and I took advantage of that in New York on numerous occassions). You need to switch cars at a station which can be an issue in areas like the southern end of the Braintree Branch. I found that many women and elderly people would often wait near the front or middle of the train so they could be in cars that had crew in them, and in the early 90s, at night, on the orange line, I would do that myself.

[mr2448]

RIPTA runs fewer trips even as demand increases

By Nicole Dionne, Staff Writer

http://www.pbn.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/123194

[runawayjim]

riding with ripta, projo letter to the editor.

[dgreco]

riding with ripta, projo letter to the editor.

That sad, I have never taken RIPTA, but I did use the MBTA a lot, and there was never that problem, elderly, pregnant, women with children, and mostly all women were given seats when they entered the bus or train. that is really surprising, and upsetting.

[Cotuit]

More people don't ride RIPTA because they can't climb the stairs on the bus with their lego legs:

[runawayjim]

is it time for random time?

[Cotuit]

is it time for random time?

Maybe, I was just about to make a lego you.

[jencoleslaw]

can you make a lego me, hiding behind a tree, getting ready to rob an old lady and make some poor family poorer by gentrifying their neighborhood? Because that would be pretty funny.

[runawayjim]

can you make a lego me, hiding behind a tree, getting ready to rob an old lady and make some poor family poorer by gentrifying their neighborhood? Because that would be pretty funny.

and selling drugs... because trees attract drug dealers.

[dgreco]

and selling drugs... because trees attract drug dealers.

graffitti?

[Cotuit]

As ridership rises, RIPTA strains to meet demand [The Providence Journal]

[Cotuit]

http://www.governor.ri.gov/contact/

Governor Donald L. Carcieri

Office of the Governor

State House, Room 115

Providence, RI 02903

Phone: (401) 222-2080

Fax: (401) 222-8096

E-Mail

[runawayjim]

http://www.governor.ri.gov/contact/

Governor Donald L. Carcieri

Office of the Governor

State House, Room 115

Providence, RI 02903

Phone: (401) 222-2080

Fax: (401) 222-8096

E-Mail

i just used the form on his site to send him a message stressing the point that RIPTA should be funded more by the state than it is currently and that their budget cannot be expected to be balanced by fare increases.

[Recchia]

I wonder how much money RIPTA actually makes giving all these transit passes to college students and the like. I know Express Travel, which is what businesses use to give employees reduced fare RIPTIKS, uses federal money to subsidize the cost, but I wonder if the colleges really pay that much to get passes.

[runawayjim]

I wonder how much money RIPTA actually makes giving all these transit passes to college students and the like. I know Express Travel, which is what businesses use to give employees reduced fare RIPTIKS, uses federal money to subsidize the cost, but I wonder if the colleges really pay that much to get passes.

that's a good question, but i'm sure that's a program RIPTA isn't going to give up since it's a pretty good selling point for the colleges. and i can't even tell you how many times students that i know have to pay even though they get to ride for free with their ID's because they forgot their card.

i'm sure the colleges are not paying a set price per student, so it probably amounts to less than what it would be if every student rode RIPTA a few times a week, but not every student uses it because some have cars they prefer to use and there's those who forget their ID. my guess is RIPTA breaks about even with that program and is not losing money on it. besides, increased ridership is a good thing for them regardless of how it's paid. or at least it should be a good thing for them (by good thing i mean increased possibility of more public funding).

something else i added in my letter to the governor was that there seems to be this belief that people who don't ride the bus feel as if they shouldn't pay for it with tax dollars, yet people who don't own cars do pay for the roads through tax dollars.

[Cotuit]

Dear Mr. Carcieri:

I've seen the form of Public Transit you ride, a Yukon with one passenger in it, you. I'm willing for my tax dollars to go to gassing that beast up, the governor has to be places after all. I'd just like for you to think for a moment, the next time your riding around in your climate controlled SUV traveling door to door without having to wait a moment, about the people who are standing out in the cold as their public transit passes them by because the state cannot find a way to provide adequate funding to RIPTA. There's 50 or more of us riding in each bus, sharing our rides, reducing stress on the roads, and stress on the environment caused by fossil fuel consumption. We deserve quality service.

The state wouldn't ever throw up it's arms and say it didn't have the money to plow Route 95 would it? The state makes sure there are public funds available to keep cars moving, that would make the roads a form of public transit, wouldn't it? And the road users don't pay a fare every time they travel on the state's roads, so it's a form of subsidized transit then.

A well running, well funded, reliable public transit system will make Rhode Island a more attractive place to live, and be a tool for us to attract business and investment in the state. Relying on the automobile to move our citizens around will lead to congestion and pollution and a state that no one wants to be in or invest in.

[matt]

<snip>

A well running, well funded, reliable public transit system will make Rhode Island a more attractive place to live, and be a tool for us to attract business and investment in the state. Relying on the automobile to move our citizens around will lead to congestion and pollution and a state that no one wants to be in or invest in.

Well said.

Except for ending the sentance with a preposition. JK

[jencoleslaw]

Well said.

Except for ending the sentance with a preposition. JK

oh, and the "your" for "you're."

and "sentence."

[runawayjim]

oh, and the "your" for "you're."

and "sentence."

[brick]

I had a totally awesome RIPTA experience today.

In the process of wrapping presents late last night, I realized that I should probably pick up a few more things for mom. So I decided to get up and go to the mall in the morning. But since I hate getting in my car on the weekend, I decided on PPM and to take RIPTA. My bus was 2 minutes late which is not bad at all, and got me downtown right on schedule. I happened to get lucky and the bus was waiting for me when I got back to KP. Maybe it was the morning, but most people on the bus both ways were quiet and sleepy. Also both busses I was on were in good repair (other than the leaking emergency exit on the bus home) and didn't have much graffiti.

On the ride back, the bus driver went out of his way (this is the 42 bus) to take someone to Butler Hospital who had gotten on the wrong bus. This put us a couple minutes behind schedule but I thought it was a nice gesture. (although too many nice gestures cost RIPTA a lot of money in the end) I mention this anecdote, though, mostly because even looking on live local I never got a sense for how large the Butler campus was. This was my first time in there. I know everyone complains about the colleges and that they don't pay tax, but this is pretty much primo residential land which is taken up by a sprawling suburban campus. As a way of comparison, imagine Bryant College's campus, only slightly smaller but in the city. I hope they make a decent contribution to the tax base.

[mr2448]

I had a totally awesome RIPTA experience today.

On the ride back, the bus driver went out of his way (this is the 42 bus) to take someone to Butler Hospital who had gotten on the wrong bus.

Just one point. The 42 Hope street bus provides service to Butler Hospital on Saturdays. There was no other bus for the rider to take because the Butler/Elmgrove bus does not run on Saturday. The driver only went out of the way if that bus was not scheduled to enter Butler. But I don't think he can do that because of insurance reasons.

Mark

[Lone Ranger]

And no apostrophe when you say "throw up its arms."

[Cotuit]

OK, fine, next time how about I have all you proof read it for me?

[gregw]

I mention this anecdote, though, mostly because even looking on live local I never got a sense for how large the Butler campus was. This was my first time in there. I know everyone complains about the colleges and that they don't pay tax, but this is pretty much primo residential land which is taken up by a sprawling suburban campus. As a way of comparison, imagine Bryant College's campus, only slightly smaller but in the city. I hope they make a decent contribution to the tax base.

By way of historical background, Butler has been there for more than a century when the area was mostly farmland and way before the area became residential. A lot of psychiatric hospitals that were founded in the 1800s are on large campuses with lots of natural scenery. The Victorians were big believers in the therapeutic effects of nature.

Anyway, I don't think Butler or any of the hospitals in PVD contribute to the tax base since they are non-profits like universities, churches, etc. But I could be wrong on this.