Hey r/Providence, I'm posting this call to action as a member of the RI Transit Riders:

This Wednesday afternoon the House Finance Subcommittee on Environment and Transportation is considering the budget for RIDOT and RIPTA.  

Bus riders, climate activists, racial and social equity supporters, and homeless advocates: tell the General Assembly RIPTA NEEDS MORE MONEY!

Without an increase in funding, RIPTA's expenses will begin to exceed its revenues in only two years.  If the General Assembly doesn't step in, RIPTA will be forced to start cutting routes and frequency of buses, which will have devastating consequences for riders.

Even if the General Assembly does provide sufficient funding to avoid these cuts, this is not enough.  Two years ago, the General Assembly passed the Transit Master Plan, which is intended to expand and improve public transit throughout the state—to provide service for currently under-served parts of Rhode Island and to increase bus frequency in those urban areas where large numbers of residents take the bus now. 

Unless Rhode Island starts implementing the Transit Master Plan NOW, the state will never reach its climate goals.  We need to make bus ridership more attractive for those who current drive, so we can cut down on vehicle emissions, a leading cause of global warming.

Unless Rhode Island starts implementing the Transit Master Plan NOW, we are perpetuating a transportation system characterized by inequity.  Motorists are getting a $220,000 million state subsidy with the elimination of the car tax—where is the equivalent funding for the Transit Master Plan?  

RI Transit Riders encourages you to testify in person on Wednesday at the Subcommittee hearing.  It will be held in Room 35 of the State House at the "rise of the House," which will be sometime around four pm or later.  These hearings typically continue until 7 pm or later.

While it's most effective to speak at the hearing, if you can't attend, then you can submit written testimony (see the third part of the page).