R 319
2022 -- S 2947
Enacted 05/19/2022

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N
RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC TRANSIT AUTHORITY (RIPTA) TO REINSTATE ITS NONSTOP EXPRESS BUS SERVICE TO SOUTH COUNTY BEACHES

Introduced By: Senators Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Goodwin, and Euer

Date Introduced: May 18, 2022

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State due to its 400 miles of stunning
coastline and sandy beaches, where generations of Rhode Islanders and visitors to the State have
enjoyed and been inspired by the crystalline waters; and
     WHEREAS, For some, access to the State’s beaches is a car ride away, but for many
working-class families and children who live in urban communities, the current cost of gas as
well as the rising cost of living would make this journey impossible if not for RIPTA’s seasonal
express bus service that directly connects several of the state’s inland communities to the beach;
and
     WHEREAS, For more than 20 years, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA)
has offered the inner core communities of Central Falls, Cranston, North Providence, Pawtucket,
Providence and Woonsocket with the ability to travel to the beach for a reasonable fee and with
the flexibility necessary for families and the elderly; and
     WHEREAS, In addition, in a day and age when “going green” is not only fashionable but
vital for our environment, and with the cost of gas hitting all-time highs, the use of buses and
mass transportation needs to become more, not less available; now, therefore be it
     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby respectfully requests
the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to reinstate express bus service to South County
beaches; and be it further
     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the
State of Rhode Island, and Scott Avedisian, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Public
Transit Authority.
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LC006005
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