Introduction
Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority, or RIPTA, currently operates transit services for the state of Rhode Island. Most RIPTA routes centralize at the Kennedy Plaza in Providence, Rhode Island.
Routes
Many bus routes comprise the RIPTA system. Routes are identified by number and are usually indicated on front and side destination signs. RIPTA’s main hub is Kennedy Plaza in Providence, Rhode Island. RIPTA makes connections with MBTA and Amtrak at Providence Station.
Local Buses
- 1 – Eddy Street/Hope Street/Benefit Street
- 3 – Oakland Beach
- 4 – Warwick Ave
- 6 – Prairie Ave/Roger Williams Park Zoo
- 13 – Coventry/Arctic/CCRI
- 14 – West Bay (2 ways: Newport or Narragansett)
- 16 -Ball Hill Road/New England Institute of Technology/Quonset (New Route!)
- 17 – Dyer/Pocasset
- 18 – Union Ave
- 19 – Plainfield/Westminster Street
- 20 – Elmwood Ave/T.F. Green Airport
- 21 – Reservoir/Garden City/CCRI Warwick
- 22 – Pontiac Ave/CCRI Warwick
- 23 – Artic Center/Crompton/Centre of New England (New Route!)
- 27 – Broadway/Manton Ave (2 ways: George Waterman or Woonasquatucket)
- 28 – Broadway/Hartford Ave
- 29 – CCRI Warwick/Conimicut
- 30 – Arlington/Oaklawn
- 31 – Cranston St
- 32 – East Providence/Wampanoag/Seekonk Sq.
- 33 – Riverside
- 34 – East Providence/Seekonk Square
- 35 – Rumford/Newport Ave
- 40 – Butler/Elmgrove
- 49 – Camp St/Miriam Hospital (Discontinued)
- 50 – Douglas Ave/Bryant University
- 51 – Charles St/Twin River/CCRI Lincoln
- 54 – Lincoln/Woonsocket
- 55 – Admiral Street/Providence College
- 56 – Chalkstone Ave
- 57 – Smith St
- 58 – Mineral Spring/Smithfield Crossings/North Providence
- 60 – Providence/Newport (2 ways: East Main or West Main)
- 63 – Broadway/Middletown Shops
- 64 – Newport/URI Kingston
- 66 – TF Green/CCRI Warwick/URl Kingston
- 67 – Bellevue/Salve Regina Univ.
- 68 – CCRI Newport/Memorial Boulevard/First beach (New Route!)
- 69 – Narragansett / Galilee
- 71 – Broad St/Pawtucket Ave
- 72 – Weeden/Central Falls
- 73 – Mineral Spring/Twin River/CCRI
- 75 – Dexter/Lincoln Mall
- 76 – Central Ave
- 78 – Beverage Hill Ave/East Providence
- 80 – Armistice Blvd
- 87 – Fairmount/Walnut Hill
- 92 – RI College/Federal Hill/East Side
Express Routes:
- 9x – Pascoag Park-n-Ride10x – North Scituate Park-n-Ride
- 12x – Arctic/117 Express Park-n-Ride
- 59x – N. Smithfield/Lincoln Mall Park-n-Ride
- 61x – Tiverton/East Bay Park-n-Ride
- 65x – Wakefield Park-Ride
- 95x – Westerly Park-n-Ride
- QX – Quonset Express
Special Services:
- R – R Line Broad/North Main
- 24L – Newport/Fall River/Providence
Flex Service
- 203 – URI/Narragansett/S. Kingstown
- 204 – Westerly Flex
- 231 – South Aquidneck Flex
- 242 – West Warwick/Coventry Flex
- 281 – Woonsocket Flex
- 282 – Pascoag/Slatersville Flex
- 301 – Westerly/Hope Valley Rural Ride
Bus Fleet Roster
The bus fleet compiles mostly of Gillig BRTs in Hybrid and clean diesel varieties. The first two digits of the fleet number represent the last two digits of the year the vehicle was built. For example, 0901 would be built in 2009. Following this, it’s clear that 1301 would be a 2013 model.
| Year | Make/Model | Image | Engine/ Transmission | Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Gillig Low Floor ’40 |  | Engine: Cummins ISL EPA 2007 Transmission: Allison B400R-5 | 0912-0935 | All currently reside at the RIPTA Middletown Garage. 0915 and 0916 are retired. 0928 retired after an accident. |
| 2010 | Gillig/Cable Car Classics Trolley Replica ’35 |  | Engine: Cummins ISB Transmission: Allison H 40 EP | 1001-1010 | Originally wearing a red livery. Later on, half were repainted green and some others remained red. Currently all feature green livery. 1001 is out of service |
| 2010 | Gillig BRT HEV ’40 |  | Engine: Cummins ISB Transmission: Allison H 40 EP | 1021-1073 | 1028 – 1031, 1033-1036, 1039, 1042-1043, 1048-1049, 1051 -1052, 1061, 1064- 1065, 1068 and 1072 are retired. More units retiring “Due to age”. 1065 retired back in 2016 after an accident. Units Retiring |
| 2010 | Gillig BRT ’35 |  | Engine: Cummins ISL9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 1081-1090 | 1082 and 1086 are retired. |
| 2013 | Gillig BRT ’40 |  | Engine: Cummins ISL9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 1301-1350 | 1301-1314 currently wear “R Line” Livery. 1335 retired due to a fire. |
| 2016 | Gillig BRT ’40 |  | Engine: Cummins ISL9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 1601-1642 | Some have rear destination sign, some others do not. |
| 2018 | Proterra Catalyst 2 BE40 |  | Electric Bus | 1811-1813 | Leased electric buses. Used only on the R-Line. Presumed to be returned sometime 2022 – 2023. |
| 2019 | Gillig BRT ’40 |  | Engine: Cummins L9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 1901-1933 | 1901-1910 reside at the RIPTA Middletown Garage |
| 2020 | Gillig BRT ’40 |  | Engine: Cummins L9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 2001-2015 | |
| 2020 | Gillig BRT ‘29 |  | Engine: Cummins L9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 2050-2058 | Used on lower frequency routes and on routes that require smaller vehicles. |
| 2022 | New Flyer XE40 “Xcelsior” |  | Siemens ELFA2 | 2201-2214 | FIRST UNIT SPOTTED (2201) in Rhode Island on I-95 heading to the Elmwood Garage. To be used in the R-Line. 2201, 2203, 2205, 2206 have been delivered |
| 2022 | Gillig BRT ’35 | TBA | Engine: Cummins L9 Transmission: Allison B400R6 | 2220-22xx | Spotted being in Connecticut and spotted arriving to the garage. Features a new livery. 10+ Buses |
| Year | Make/Model | Image | Engine/Transmission | Numbers | Notes |