URI students, faculty and staff now ride free on RIPTA buses under new agreement
Posted
By Christopher Shea
Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus 69, which serves the University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus, waits at a stop in Galilee. URI students, faculty and staff can now ride public buses for free with their school IDs now that the school has joined RIPTA’s U-Pass program. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
University of Rhode Island (URI) students, faculty and staff can now ride public buses for free with their school IDs under an agreement announced last week between the university and the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.
URI will pay a flat $135,000 fee to join RIPTA’s U-Pass program, allowing members of the university community to board buses statewide at any time, including nights, weekends and university holidays, without paying the typical $2 fare. The agreement, signed Sept. 18, runs from Oct. 1 through Aug. 31, 2027.
Before joining the U-Pass program, URI students paid half price for RIPTA’s monthly bus passes, a discount arrangement that had been in place for at least two decades.
More than half of URI students commute to campus, according to the university.
“We recognize that public transportation is an important service for many members of the URI community — not only as a way to get to and from campus, but also for their day-to-day transportation needs,” Ellen Reynolds, URI’s vice president for student affairs, said in a statement.
Other Rhode Island colleges and universities have also used RIPTA’s U-Pass program, with arrangements varying by school. Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design and Roger Williams University began participating in 2007, according to data provided by the bus agency.
At Roger Williams, all first-year students receive 10 free RIPTA rides during both the fall and spring semesters.
Bus rides are free for all students at Brown University, Bryant University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design and Salve Regina University.
Students at the Community College of Rhode Island can purchase monthly RIPTA passes for half the usual $70 price, while Johnson & Wales University students can purchase semester passes for $200 during the fall and spring and $80 for the summer.
URI and RIPTA will meet quarterly to review ridership and the status of the U-Pass program, according to the agreement. URI officials said expanding access to public transportation can help the Kingston campus free up parking spaces, and help relieve traffic congestion.
