Rhode Island’s statewide bus network already allows some commuter rail pass holders to ride its buses for free, but one lawmaker is making his annual push to take that integration with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) even further.
Legislation sponsored by Rep. John Lombardi, a Providence Democrat, would enable the Rhode Island Public Authority (RIPTA) to collaborate with the MBTA so all passes work on the Ocean State’s bus network — and vice versa.
Lombardi’s bill received its initial hearing before the House Committee on Corporations, where it was held for further study as is standard procedure.
“This is a cost-saving consumer protection measure for people in the less affluent communities of Rhode Island,” Lombardi told the committee. “This just makes sense.”
Allowing dual passes would also allow the state to meet one of the major planks of its Transit Forward RI 2040 plan, which envisions expanded and accessible service across the region.
But RIPTA doesn’t need legislation to collaborate with its Boston-based counterpart. Commuters who have monthly train passes to ride out of Wickford Junction, T.F. Green International Airport, and Providence and Pawtucket’s MBTA stations can already ride Rhode Island’s bus network for no extra charge.
Passes for those zones are also available in Kingston, Massachusetts, and the communities of East Taunton, Fall River, Middleboro, and New Bedford — where stations opened this March for the new South Coast Rail line.
Agency spokesperson Sara Furbush said RIPTA is already in communication with the MBTA about exploring more opportunities to make more Massachusetts-based transit passes available for use in Rhode Island.
“That said, we appreciate the support and visibility,” she said in an email to Rhode Island Current about Lombardi’s proposal. “Expanding this type of fare integration and making dual passes more widely available is something we would like to see become a reality.”
This is the ninth consecutive session that Lombardi has pitched which he calls a way to push for more collaboration. Since 2017, his bill has never been voted out of committee.
“It is what it is, but I’ll keep doing it until I hear different,” Lombardi said in an interview Wednesday. “I never hear opposition, so I don’t know what the problem is.”
No one spoke in person on Lombardi’s bill during Wednesday’s committee hearing, but 10 people did submit written testimony in favor of the proposal.
“Transportation options such as rail and bus are vitally important to Rhode Islanders who do not own a vehicle,” wrote Matt Netto, associate state director for AARP Rhode Island. “These modes of transportation increase access and convenience for all looking to travel throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts.”
Longtime transit advocate and former RIPTA board member Barry Schiller did offer an amendment to the bill on behalf of Rhode Island Transit Riders. He called on state transportation officials to collaborate not just with the MBTA, but also with Amtrak and other regional transit authorities in Massachusetts — all would need to report back to legislative leaders by Jan. 1, 2026.
MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battison told Rhode Island Current the agency is always happy to work with RIPTA “in best serving the riding public.”
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
