PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Bus riders in Rhode Island can now save some time by buying some tickets or passes before they board, thanks to new ticket vending machines RIPTA has now installed at Kennedy Plaza.
The new machines are designed to reduce lines at a ticket window at the plaza, the state’s busiest transit hub, the transit authority said Thursday morning.
- On The Web: How To Use RIPTA Ticket Machines
It’s still early days, though, for the new technology: right now the machines only accept credit or debit cards, not cash, and a flyer touting their use notes tickets they issue may not have RIPTA-specific logos. The TVM tickets are currently temporary paper stock, and “will be white without any graphics until new ticket stock arrives,” the flyer said. Cash will also be accepted in the future at the machines.
Offerings are also limited: a 2-hour unlimited ride pass for $2, a 1-day pass for $6 or a 7-day pass for $23. “Other tickets or passes could be available at the machines in the future based on customer use and demand,” said the authority’s Barbara Polichetti.
The authority bought seven ticket machines with about $730,000 in federal grant money. They’ll watch how well the machines work with customers at Kennedy Plaza, and may roll them out to the Pawtucket Transit Center later.
