RI Transit Riders is working closely with the SAVE RIPTA campaign, which is focused on substantially increasing RIPTA’s funding for the coming year. This campaign is currently directed at two goals. The first is modifying the Governor’s budget to include the full $18 million RIPTA asked for to avoid a deficit for next year, which would result in massive reductions in bus service. The Governor allotted only an additional $10 million. At the House Finance Committee meeting this Wednesday, we are asking that the remaining $8 million be added to the budget.

The second goal is to win passage of House Bill 7774, which calls for an added $78 million appropriation in addition to the $10 million in the Governor’s Budget, to fully fund RIPTA in the upcoming FY2025 house budgetary session. Here is the breakdown for the $78 million: RIPTA needs at minimum $8M to close the current deficit, $24M to pay drivers adequately, and a $46M commitment to expanding service and begin to implement the Transit Master Plan. https://www.ripta.com/transitforwardri/ Basically, the TMP would increase bus frequency, create more cross-town bus lines, and extend service into underserved rural areas. With better service, motorists would be more likely to leave their cars at home and take the bus–at least some of the time, thereby cutting down on auto emissions.

What can you do to help?

1.  Send written testimony to the House Finance Committee before noon on Wednesday telling why bus service is important to you personally and asking the committee to add the $8 million back into the Governor’s budget.  In the same letter, note that even with the additional money, RIPTA’s funding isn’t nearly enough.  Urge the committee to pass HB 7774 when it comes before the committee for a hearing.

2.  Attend the Save RIPTA press conference in the State House Library on March 26 at 3:15 and call for passage of HB7774.  Rhode Islanders deserve better bus service!

3. When the House Finance Committee hearing on 7774, SHOW UP AND TESTIFY!  We’ll need everyone to tell the committee how important better transit services are to you personally and to everyone in the state.  Stay tuned for announcement of the HB 7774 hearing date.

Guidelines for Wednesday’s written testimony for the House Finance Committee:

Email to HouseFinance@rilegislature.gov 

Deadline: By 1:00pm March 20

Subject Line: Governor’s proposed FY 2025 RIPTA budget – SUPPORT. 

Top Message Points: 

• We suggest you “support” the $10M funding allocation while stressing the need for much more of it.

  Your testimony needs to mention HB7774…this is where the focus needs to be! (bolded below).Add a personal story and your experience riding RIPTA.

  Include the underlined parts at the beginning and the end of the letter.

  Use any other statements in the sample letter that you like but be sure to let include the parts described above.

***

TEMPLATE (feel free to customize!): 

Dear Chairman and Committee members, 

My name is _______, I live in ________, and I am deeply alarmed about RIPTA’s impending financial crisis because [ADD YOUR PERSONAL STORY AND EXPERIENCE].

In his January State of the State speech and a subsequent social media campaign, Governor McKee has focused on several worthy goals – improving school attendance, raising household incomes, implementing the Act on Climate, and solving the housing crisis. However, it is extremely difficult for me to see a path to achieving these goals without a robust public transportation system.

Tens of thousands of high school and college students statewide depend on RIPTA to get to class every day, but RIPTA’s driver shortage has already caused massive disruption to Providence’s school transportation. Until just last week, RIPTA offered its operators one of the lowest starting wages in the region as a result of chronic state underfunding, leading RIPTA to propose massive service cuts this April due to a lack of drivers. These cuts include routes serving areas of major services for mental health, Child and Family Services, students in secondary school, essential workers commuting to work, CCRI and URI students etc. I ask you to sustainably fund higher bus driver wages and benefits so RIPTA and the Amalgamated Transit Union can attract a new generation of drivers to join this essential workforce.

Despite all this, the Governor’s budget still leaves an $8 million deficit for FY 2025. This is keeping with tradition, as Rhode Island has underfunded public transit for decades. According to the Federal Transit Administration’s database, Rhode Island invested just $66 in transit per capita in 2019, compared to peer urbanized states like Connecticut, ($80), Delaware ($110), or Massachusetts ($253). Still, RIPTA is already one of the most cost efficient, well-run mid-sized transit agencies in the nation, outperforming Hartford and Worcester’s transit systems by significant margins per service hour. RIPTA’s operating budget is already incredibly efficient and has no more margin for austerity; it is unreasonable to expect further cost savings to be possible without service cuts.

This is why I am urging the General Assembly to increase the Governor’s inadequate budget proposal to fully fund and find an increased, stable funding solution for RIPTA that does not rely on the federal government or declining gas tax revenue.

I therefore urge you to support HB7774, which advocates for an added $78 million appropriation in addition to the $10 million in the Governor’s Budget, to fully fund RIPTA in the upcoming FY2025 house budgetary session. RIPTA needs at minimum $8M to close the current deficit, $24M to pay drivers adequately, and a $46M commitment to expanding service and begin to implement the Transit Master Plan. Inaction will be felt for generations if we allow public transportation to languish at this critical moment. I urge you, our leaders, to finally give RIPTA the resources it needs to move more riders and the state in the right direction.

Please save RIPTA. Please fund transit. Please help Rhode Island and its residents get where we need to go.

Sincerely,

Your name

Your address