Why I'm leaving Rhode Island
A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
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These highly sought after professionals can live anywhere they please. Why would they bother moving to a place like Rhode Island, where the only transit option is a bus that comes twice an hour during the day, and doesn't run at all when you want to attend a networking event, fundraiser, or just a fun night out with friends?
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While local politicians focus on tax incentives, many top companies are more focused on access to a highly specialized workforce. And those workers are attracted to places where they can afford good homes and get around easily. If
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If Providence's Innovation District is to be the next Kendall Square, we need to put the $45 million a year in corporate tax subsidies — which we're not even breaking even on — to better use saving and growing RIPTA. Without investing it in mass transit, I can tell you right now, the companies will never come. Rhode Island never had a chance at
That's why despite my roots in this state, like many before me, I'm leaving for greener pastures in Philadelphia, where I bought a home for a fraction of the price that it would cost here in Rhode Island, while comfortably ditching my car.
Pennsylvania Governor John Shapiro is
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When advocating for transit, an often forgotten part of the picture is housing. While rowhomes (i.e. townhomes) are the predominant housing in Philadelphia, developers are prevented from building them in most of Rhode Island because of exclusionary zoning rules that prevent people with lower-income from moving to more well-resourced neighborhoods. These rules, including massive minimum lot sizes, have led to
Thankfully,
and
housing reform, prosperity will not come. Importantly, Philadelphia's proliferation of rowhomes is only possible because driving a car is a choice, not a requirement to have a full life in the city. Without the strength of SEPTA, many more residents would be required to buy and store a car in areas with limited street parking and zero off-street parking spots.
I sincerely hope that will change, as the
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If the state is to prove itself as a place worth investing in and keeping people like me in it, transit and housing are the first places to look.
Cameron LaFreniere is a volunteer with the Providence Streets Coalition and a fourth-generation Rhode Islander.
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CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
SEPTA warns 'doomsday' service cuts could disrupt Philadelphia student's back-to-school commute
SEPTA is urging families in the Philadelphia region to start planning now for how their children will be getting to and from school next month. All 55,000 students who ride SEPTA's buses and trains will be affected by the agency's self-described "doomsday" service cuts, according to Andrew Busch, SEPTA's communications director. He said students will have to wake up even earlier to get to class on-time. "It's going to be much more difficult to get those kids to school," Busch said. "[What] students and parents will probably need to prepare for is having students take more transfers than they normally do and certainly allowing for time to get to and from school." Agency leaders said the cuts were necessary to plug a $213 million budget hole. The first wave of cuts, which includes removing 36 bus routes, eliminating 3,000 bus stops and slashing service systemwide by 20%, are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 24, exactly one day before the start of school. Busch warned students living in the city's northeast and northwest neighborhoods will be most affected. "In those areas where there's not as much density, the impact is going to be a little more just because things are spaced out a little more," Busch said. "There's not as much service in those areas, so when you take away some service, it can have a bigger impact in those areas where we're not running as much service to begin with." Both politicians and SEPTA leaders are lobbying members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to allocate more money to the agency, but Busch warned even if state money comes in at the last minute, SEPTA wouldn't be able to quickly reverse the cuts. "The closer we get to the 24th [of August], the more difficult it's going to be," Busch said. "We need about two or three weeks to either make a decision to go or not go with these cuts, so if we got into the 20th and funding hadn't been approved, then we'd already be too late." A spokeswoman with The School District of Philadelphia said the district's working with its transportation department to gather information and communicate options to families. Starting Monday, SEPTA will begin posing signs about the cuts at every affected bus route and stop. It's also urging parents to visit its website for more details on the service cuts.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
RIPTA to consider spending cuts, layoffs, fare hikes. Here's why
PROVIDENCE – Bus fares are set to rise throughout the Ocean State and routes scaled back − including termination of the South County Beach Bus − as the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority cuts spending to close a projected $18 million budget gap. The exact size of the fare hike and details on which routes will be axed or see frequency reduced, is expected to be announced in July. In anticipation of the announcement, RIPTA has announced a series of nine legally-required public hearings starting July 28 where riders throughout the state can share their thoughts about the changes. "RIPTA's primary source of operating funds, the state gas tax, has failed to keep pace with inflation, making it inadequate to sustain a quality transit system and contributing to the agency's budget deficit,' RIPTA CEO Christopher Durand said in a Thursday, June 26 news release. 'We've worked diligently to manage our operations with limited resources, and an independent efficiency study has confirmed what we already knew: there are no hidden savings left to be found. At this point, in order to close the budget gap, we must reluctantly consider reducing service, increasing fares and laying off our workforce. Without new revenue, we simply have no other choice.' Riders should anticipate the "elimination of routes or route segments, decreased service frequency, reduced service span, and reduced or eliminated weekend service, the news release said. "The reductions would include the elimination of South County Express Beach Bus service." A consultant's "efficiency study" of how the statewide bus system can operate without federal pandemic funding is now expected to be released in "early to mid July," according to RIPTA spokesperson Cristy Raposo Perry. Cuts became inevitable when the General Assembly passed a state budget June 20 that provided RIPTA an extra $15 million next year through an increase in the state gas tax, but still left the agency facing an $18 million hole. At a June 26 meeting of the RIPTA Board of Directors, board members braced for bad news. How critical are RIPTA's money woes? Bad enough that after discussing the budget, the Board of Directors opted to go without insurance next year to protect the agency from catastrophic medical claims by employees. Called stop-loss insurance, these policies are used by employers who self-insure workers to guard against a sudden spike of expensive, unexpected claims. In most years, including each of the last five RIPTA has had a policy, claims exceeding the $400,000 threshold where the stop-loss policy kicks in have cost the agency less than its premiums. This past year, for example, the insurance only covered $100,000 in claims. The policy for next year would have cost $480,000 in premiums and fees. So, facing layoffs and route reductions that could exacerbate ridership losses, the board decided to roll the dice and go uninsured starting in July. "Maybe this is the year to go naked on this?" board member Normand Benoit suggested. Durand said the $480,000 saved by not buying a policy should be enough to save five jobs. Of course, that's unless there's a bad accident or a few people get really sick. RIPTA began buying stop-loss insurance after getting socked with $1.1 million claim in fiscal 2017-2018. "This will be the one opportunity I can think of off the top of my head to save some significant money," Benoit said. "Yes, we take on some additional risk. We're not going to know what the end result of this decision is until a year later." The rest of the board agreed, and the insurance policy was tabled. Like most mass transit agencies across the country, RIPTA saw ridership plunge during the COVID pandemic. Some of those bus passengers returned in recent years, but not all, and federal pandemic aid has now run out. Through May, RIPTA ridership was 300,000 people short of where it was at the same period in 2024, suggesting that ridership may have plateaued despite far fewer canceled bus trips than a year ago. The reduction in canceled trips is the result of a driver recruitment effort and pay raises that cured a persistent shortage. The budget shortfall could reverse some of those gains. Sections of the consultant efficiency study that have been released project that RIPTA might need to cut as much as 20% of its service and 90 employees. To try to find new riders and revenue, Durand said RIPTA is exploring partnerships with major employers, such as a deal with Amazon to serve its Johnston distribution center. RIPTA is in talks with Ocean State Job Lot to serve its headquarters in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cash-strapped RIPTA awaits efficiency study to plan best route ahead
CBS News
06-07-2025
- CBS News
SEPTA to begin charging for parking on weekends, holidays at lots and garages
SEPTA to begin charging for weekend, holiday parking at all lots and garages SEPTA to begin charging for weekend, holiday parking at all lots and garages SEPTA to begin charging for weekend, holiday parking at all lots and garages If you prefer to park in a SEPTA-owned parking lot or garage, prepare to pay for it. Beginning Monday, SEPTA will start charging those who park on weekends and holidays at any of its lots and garages, including 35 additional locations. These newly implemented charges come as SEPTA faces a massive funding crisis. The SEPTA Board approved the new parking charges as part of its Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget in June, which looks to cut service by 45% and raise fares by 21.5% to fill a $213 million recurring budget deficit. SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said the transit organization is committed to finding innovative ways to make the company more efficient without compromising the safety of its customers. "Collecting parking fees 24/7 is another example of how we are doing everything we can to generate revenue during this funding crisis," Sauer said. The daily parking rate is $2 at SEPTA-owned surfaced lots and $4 at its garages, including Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown and Lansdale. Monthly permit parking fees at SEPTA-operated surface lots and parking garages remain suspended. SEPTA offered free parking for four years to help reel customers back to using the system. The transit agency began initially reinstating parking fees in September 2024.
