RIC students make the case
for better transportation choices
In January, a representative from the student government at Rhode Island College attended a Coalition for Transportation Choices Program and Advocacy meeting to talk about the problems that a lack of viable transportation choices pose to RIC students and to share the progress they've made in advocating for better support and service.
After the meeting, we asked Aaron Buckley -- Speaker of Student Government, Inc. at Rhode Island College -- to share the story of their work with CTC's membership.
Student Community Government (SCG), Inc. at Rhode Island College has been at the forefront of advocacy for broad, comprehensive public transportation in Rhode Island. In the last three years, Student Parliament has introduced and passed several resolutions supporting additional collaboration between the college and RIPTA. These efforts have paid off significantly, thanks to a strong partnership between the student government and RIC President Nancy Carriuolo's Administration.
Before public transportation became a hot topic on the student body agenda, Rhode Island College was the only public institution in the state that did not offer a subsidy for RIPTA e-fare passes. Both the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island have been offering half-price passes for the last couple of years, due to dedicated student fees. The College was serviced inadequately by the 55 and 26 bus lines, with no Sunday service and early terminating night trips. This deficit of adequate transit infrastructure compounded the campus's perennial parking issues to create a nightmare for commuters, whether bus riders, car drivers or bicyclists.
These issues have been brought to Student Parliament over the years, but nothing specifically addressing RIPTA was passed until 2008 when Tim McCormick, then RIPTA's Planning Director, was invited to Parliament to explore options for making RIPTA rides cheaper for RIC students. The students responded with calls for expanded late-night and weekend service, a bus shelter, and most importantly half-price bus passes.
SCG presented RIPTA as an issue of importance and necessity to everyone on campus, not just the students who would utilize the bus. For every student who chooses to take the bus instead of drive to campus, there is one less parking spot being occupied. This argument resonated with the student body, who favorably responded to an official survey of students' opinions on a potential transportation fee that would subsidize RIPTA e-fare.
President Carriuolo has described herself as a "Green" president, and she was an early ally of SCG. The College worked with the Office of Higher Education to start a half-price discount program. The program was a resounding success and the OHE actually ran over budget due to student demand. The program unfortunately had to be stopped, but SCG responded by allocating $25,000 of its general budget to re-instituting the discount.
These efforts culminated in Student Parliament's endorsement of a Safety and Transportation Fee, which was subsequently supported by President Carriuolo and the Board of Governors for Higher Education and instituted. Ridership data prove the success of this campaign: while the Campus Bookstore sold only single-digit numbers of bus passes per month before a discount was instituted, it now sells several hundred. The previously empty bus stop is now populated throughout the day, and a unique bus shelter is being designed and built out of the president's own funds. SCG believes strongly in public transportation's positive role in supporting not just only students, but the city and state economy, and continues to advocate for a stronger, more efficient, and adequately funded RIPTA.
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