October 29, 2012

In anticipation of high winds and heavy rain due to Hurricane Sandy, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) will begin an orderly suspension of all Newport and South County Service, with the last buses departing those areas by 10AM, and the entire statewide system will suspend service beginning at 12PM. The last urban trips will be leaving Kennedy Plaza at noon time.

These actions are consistent with our Hurricane Plan, designed to protect the safety of customers, employees and equipment, and ensure our ability to restore service after the storm as quickly as possible. Work has been underway throughout the weekend in anticipation of this possibility.

Passengers should continue to monitor news reports; check www.RIPTA.com and RIPTA’s social media outlets for service advisory updates. Passengers can sign up for electronic News Updates at http://www.ripta.com/detours-news; RIPTA will provide e-mail notices to passengers on this distribution list, so they can be alerted once service resumes.

RIPTA customers can visit RIPTA’s website, www.ripta.com, or social media accounts (Facebook @RideRIPTA ,Twitter @RIPTA_RI), for updated service status updates and travel advisories. As soon as conditions allow following the storm, RIPTA will evaluate damage and begin to restore service as quickly as possible while protecting the safety of all involved.

RIPTA, the State’s Mobility Manager, operates over 3,000 daily bus trips on over 50 bus routes throughout the state. Last year, we provided 20 million rides. RIPTA also offers passenger van “Flex” services in areas not served by fixed-route bus service. For more information on schedules or other RIPTA services, please call 781-9400 or visit ripta.com.