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Why don't more people use RIPTA?

Cotuit

By Cotuit
in Rhode Island

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Yes, they already are 20 minutes, and totally useless. I stopped riding for the most part after the fare hike. Combine the horrible experience it is to ride one of the trolleys (the wooden seats, the bad suspension, the Hope High Students), the fact that the routes are totally walkable, the too long wait (I've often waited more than 20 minutes for them) and it is no where near worth $1.50.

Ciccilline really needs to get on the state's case about the problems with RIPTA. Our current level of service does not a healthy urban area make.

I hate RIPTA! :angry:

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Sadly I think RIPTA is content with sucking, and continuing to suck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's so stupid. I can't believe they can't even capture me as a loyal customer, the only time in my adult life I've gone without a transit pass is when I lived in Portland, Maine (which only has 4 or 5 bus lines anyway, and I lived within blocks of every place I ever needed to go to) and Providence. I'm a hard core, non-car-owning transit advocate, and I don't use RIPTA with any regularity. What hope do they have with everyone else except the very poor?

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I just saw one of the new buses today.

I saw one a few days ago too, then I saw one yesterday on Atwells (which is my route when I decide to actually ride the bus). So I'm hoping that at some point I might get to ride one, if they're on Atwells.

Excellent, this could be part of a long needed kick to give RIPTA some incentive to improve itself.

Unfortunately fuel prices are going to hurt RIPTA as much as it has hurt the people that are turning to it.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Heres the new RIPTA buses... hopefully these will improve their image...

I was in Kennedy Plaza the other day and there were five of them in the plaza working various lines. I wondered to myself if they'll help RIPTAs image as well.

Man, that thing is huge! What line is that on?

They're on a bunch of lines, I keep hoping to catch one on the 26. I think they look big because they are low slung. Other buses are about as long, but are overall taller, making them look less lengthy.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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From RIPTAs "Destinations" Newsletter:

Hurricane Katrina & Rising Gas Prices

The Impact on Demand for RIPTA Services

New England began January 2005 with an average price for regular gasoline of $1.862 per gallon*. Since that time, the average price of regular gasoline has risen over 76%, finishing the week of September 5, 2005 with an average price of $3.291 per gallon.

The impact on the RIPTA system has been noticeable. Bus routes across Rhode Island have seen a spike in passenger volume, increasing the risk of overcrowding. These occurrences have increased sharply since Hurricane Katrina sent gas prices skyward 28 percent in a single week.

RIPTA has made all possible adjustments to address overcrowding in the short term including running additional peak time trips. RIPTA

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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will our little dig have much impact on those numbers?

It should, the left exit off of 95 south to 195 contributes to the bottleneck, slowing down on 195 to negotiate the 'S' curves contributes, having the offramp for Broadway mere yards from the 195/95 northbound merge contributes, traffic entering 95 on the right from 6/10 then needing to go all the way left to get to 195 contributes. All these factors will be gone when the re-allignment is complete.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I got to ride one of the new buses yesterday. I waited for the bus rather than walking home hoping to catch one, the trolley came first so I got on, then one of the new buses doing the 26 route pulled up right behind the trolley, so I leapt off the trolley at Kennedy Plaza and switched to the bus.

The new buses are awesome! They are almost the same as the Silver Line buses in Boston. When they pull up in Kennedy Plaza, the floor of the bus is level with the curb so there is no steps to board the bus. Behind the driver are two large bulkheads where the front tires sit. There is plenty of space to walk between them or maneuver a wheelchair betweem them. Seats behind the tires convert for wheelchairs. You can see upon boarding that there is a flip out ramp in the floor to board wheelchairs when the bus can't reach the curb. In the back there is almost theatre style seating, where there are stairs to an upper level above the rear tires and the engine. The seats are not upolstered, but they are cushy, unfortunately they used a cloth material rather than a vinyl which I think is going to end up having a short lifespan. There are even lights in the rear steps so that you can see them better. The rear door is in the low-floor section, so it's one step from the bus to the street.

All in all, very good, I hope they replace the entire fleet.

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Recchia Town

Recchia

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I got to ride one of the new buses yesterday. I waited for the bus rather than walking home hoping to catch one, the trolley came first so I got on, then one of the new buses doing the 26 route pulled up right behind the trolley, so I leapt off the trolley at Kennedy Plaza and switched to the bus.

The new buses are awesome! They are almost the same as the Silver Line buses in Boston. When they pull up in Kennedy Plaza, the floor of the bus is level with the curb so there is no steps to board the bus. Behind the driver are two large bulkheads where the front tires sit. There is plenty of space to walk between them or maneuver a wheelchair betweem them. Seats behind the tires convert for wheelchairs. You can see upon boarding that there is a flip out ramp in the floor to board wheelchairs when the bus can't reach the curb. In the back there is almost theatre style seating, where there are stairs to an upper level above the rear tires and the engine. The seats are not upolstered, but they are cushy, unfortunately they used a cloth material rather than a vinyl which I think is going to end up having a short lifespan. There are even lights in the rear steps so that you can see them better. The rear door is in the low-floor section, so it's one step from the bus to the street.

All in all, very good, I hope they replace the entire fleet.

Cool! That is exactly what the CDTA buses are like, with the low floor, wide aisle and upper level in the rear. Can't wait to ride in one. They still fit over 40 seats in them? I think the CDTA is a little less.

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Garris Town

Garris

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It should, the left exit off of 95 south to 195 contributes to the bottleneck, slowing down on 195 to negotiate the 'S' curves contributes, having the offramp for Broadway mere yards from the 195/95 northbound merge contributes, traffic entering 95 on the right from 6/10 then needing to go all the way left to get to 195 contributes. All these factors will be gone when the re-allignment is complete.

I remember reading ages ago that the 195 work would do something like move the interchange from being able to handle its current 40 or 50% of traffic capacity to like 80% (I'm kind of pulling these numbers out of the sky, but that was the rough idea), so much better than before, but still not relieving the traffic, which I believe they said with the vehicular volume and the land area here is just physically not possible.

- Garris

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