RIPTA board approves plan to reduce bus service on most routes

Rhode Island’s public transportation system will see big service reductions in September after its board approved cuts on Thursday.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority voted to accept a controversial plan put forward by Gov. Dan McKee and RIPTA CEO Christopher Durand that reduces bus frequency on 46 of its 58 routes and will require RIPTA to tap into the agency’s capital funds for operating expenses.

McKee and leaders from the state legislature have been pressuring RIPTA to cut expenses as the state loses access to federal pandemic relief funding. The state legislature appropriated additional funds to help balance the budget, but the agency was left with a $10 million gap.

In July, RIPTA proposed service reductions to nearly all of its bus routes , including eliminating 17 rou