The outcry over making cuts to public transportation in Rhode Island has been loud and persistent ever since reduction of as much as 10 percent of service was proposed. More than 2,500 Rhode Islanders have signed a petition asking Governor Chafee and the General Assembly to ensure that no cuts be made. Additionally, local political leaders have received hundreds of emails and phone calls in support of maintaining the current level of RIPTA service.

While political leaders are not deaf to this outpouring of concern, the thousands of Rhode Islanders who rely on bus service for getting to work, school and/or medical appointments, or just living their everyday lives, cannot afford to ease off on the pressure.  

Two communities, Pawtucket and Burrillville, are already taking up cause in no uncertain terms. These municipalities have passed resolutions demanding no cuts to public transit. Your community can do it as well. Here's how: 

First, click here to download the Burrillville resolution, which can be adapted for your city or town.  

Then, use this link find the contact information for your local council person(s) or other municipal leaders, and send the resolution to them with a request that they pass a similar resolution.

Finally, if the people who rely on and value public transit expect RIPTA's fundamentally flawed funding structure to be addressed next year, then they have to make their message impossible to ignore. If you haven't already, you can click here to put your name on the "Save RIPTA" petition.   

This list is growing daily, and any smart politician, decision maker, or member of the business community would be wise to heed what the public is telling them about the need for maintaining a healthy, efficient system of public transportation in Rhode Island.