Photo by Rob Thorn

Mass transit is convenient, inexpensive and good for the environment. And it can also be a lot of fun.

Many bus routes -- particularly the longer ones with regular travelers -- can end up becoming a road family affair. And if you are not into bonding with strangers, the people-watching and eavesdropping can still be a great way to relax and get a chuckle every now and then.

In our second in a periodic series of profiles (you can read our first profile here) we bring you Aaron Phaneuf, a recent RIPTA convert, who has been writing a series of very entertaining pieces on the joys of mass transit for Newport This Week. CTC would like to share one of them with you, in hopes that the good times Aaron is having might persude the reluctant to hop on board.

RIPTA Chronicles: #14 Express Rides On

-- By Aaron Phaneuf

In 2006, the Rhode Island General Assembly commissioned a survey of non-riders-citizens who, at the time, were not using public transportation. Nearly 500 Rhode Island residents answered questions providing interesting, if not disheartening, results. Fully 45 percent of those who responded said that under no circumstances would they consider riding a bus, even if it picked them up at home and drove them directly to their office.

I nearly fell off my chair when I first read that.

The Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority (RIPTA) was basically offering a private car service, and folks were declining the invitation. That is how wed to our vehicles we have become. Under virtually no circumstances do we wish to give up the freedom that comes from driving our own cars.

A few years ago, that was me. I was driving my car to Providence each weekday. I'm not exactly sure what jarred me from my routine, but one day I decided to take the bus.

The local #60 leaves from the Gateway Center in downtown Newport nearly every hour throughout the day and night. It does much the same in reverse from Kennedy Plaza in Providence. The route slips north from Newport, lurching through traffic along East or West Main roads, cruises over the Mount Hope Bridge, winds through Bristol, Warren, and Barrington before terminating service in downtown Providence. The trip takes about an hour and half; sometimes longer, depending on how often it stops to pick-up and drop-off.

The ridership tends to be blue collar, mostly local residents, those who either don't have access to a car, or prefer to have someone else drive. There are characters aplenty; very personal conversations (periodically to oneself) at louder than public decibel levels. At times the behavior can be disruptive. It is the sort of bus many people often think of when they imagine public transportation. I never felt unsafe, but was always sure to stay alert . . .  

Click here to download a PDF of the full story of Aaron's ride.