Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed budget leaves the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s $32.6 million deficit unaddressed, raising fears of service cuts from transit advocates. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
Public transit advocates are outraged over a $32.6 million deficit for Rhode Island’s statewide bus agency has gone unaddressed in Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget unveiled Thursday but remain hopeful an upcoming efficiency study will show how to fill in the gap.
The deficit is the result of federal pandemic relief aid drying up. When the state gave the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) $15 million of unspent COVID relief funds in its fiscal year 2025 budget, the agency agreed to conduct a report on its operations and submit it to the governor, House speaker, and Senate president by March 2025.
But such a study had yet to be conducted, RIPTA spokesperson Cristy Raposo Perry confirmed Friday. She took note of a leadership change at the agency last year.
“Now that a permanent CEO is in place we are actively looking for a vendor to conduct the study,” she said in a phone call.
In November, the agency elevated former CFO Christopher Durand from interim CEO to permanent CEO to replace predecessor Scott Avedisian — a move lauded by transit advocates, union officials, and the agency’s board of directors.
Durand said in a statement Friday that RIPTA staff are reviewing McKee’s proposed budget and will assess its implications for the bus agency’s operations.
“As part of this process, we will also look into new ways that we can generate revenue and enhance operational efficiencies,” Durand said.
McKee’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget allocates $126.6 million to RIPTA, despite $159.1 million in projected expenditures. The governor’s budget is less than the agency’s revised $153.4 million fiscal 2025 budget. RIPTA has a total of 873 full-time employees and seeks to hire an additional 23 under its fiscal 2026 budget request.
Department of Administration spokesperson Derek Gomes told Rhode Island Current Thursday the state wants to see how efficient RIPTA is before committing any funds.
“And of course we’ll see what the legislature does,” Gomes said.
Spokespeople for House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio both said on Friday it was too premature to comment on individual budget proposals, which will be reviewed by their chamber’s respective finance committees over the coming months.
One legislator took to social media to voice his displeasure with the governor’s neglect of RIPTA.
“Despite the concerns we heard from bus riders all across Rhode Island last legislative session, governor McKee has introduced a state budget Proposal that leaves RIPTA underfunded by over $30 Million!” Rep. David Morales, a Providence Democrat, posted on X Friday. “For the thousands of working people who rely on RIPTA, this is unacceptable.”
Transit advocates say McKee’s new budget is just the latest evidence of his lack of commitment to RIPTA, fearing the unaddressed deficit could force mass layoffs and service cuts.
“People will be left with no way to get to their jobs, homes, or doctor’s appointments,” Patricia Raub, co-chair of RI Transit Riders, said in an interview Friday. “We’ve got a governor that doesn’t seem to understand that public transit is not only for poor people or the riders, it’s also a way to increase our economy and to meet our climate goals.”
Raub also disagreed with the state’s assessment that RIPTA even needs to submit an efficiency study to potentially secure additional funding.
“I think RIPTA’s about as efficient as you can get,” Raub said. “I’m amazed with what the new CEO has managed to do with a limited budget. There’s only so much you can do. You can’t make soup out of stones.”
RIPTA has managed to reverse course after what was a bumpy start to its 2024. The agency has seen driver applicants line up outside RIPTA’s Melrose Street headquarters in Providence after raising starting wages and eliminated the need to suspend or reduce any routes brought by the ongoing labor shortage.
The Save RIPTA coalition on Friday issued a statement that it was “extremely disappointed” in McKee for not addressing the bus agency’s looming deficit, especially as states such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have opted to increase their mass transit funding to historic levels.
“But here in Rhode Island, governor McKee is once again locked into a small-town mindset that cannot advance our state into the future, let alone meet his own administration’s goals of increasing household incomes and improving school attendance,” the coalition wrote.
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