Tanzi pleased at
restoration of no-fare RIPTA pass program
Rep. Teresa Tanzi said she is very pleased that the she
and fellow members of the House were able to provide funding in the state
budget bill to restore no-fare RIPTA bus passes for elderly and disabled Rhode
Islanders.
Since February, elderly and disabled Rhode
Islanders who meet income-eligibility requirements have had to pay 50 cents a
ride, plus 25 cents for transfers, for rides that were previously free for
them.
The budget bill (2017-H 5175Aaa) approved by the House of Representatives provides funds to restore the
no-fare passes for two years, at a cost of $5 million per year.
Over this two-year period, the General Assembly is
requesting that the administration find a permanent solution so that vulnerable
Rhode Island residents will continue to have access to the no-fare passes.
Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, Narragansett, South
Kingstown), who serves on the House Finance Committee and is chairwoman of its
Subcommittee on Human Services, worked behind the scenes to free up funding to
ensure the restoration.
She took aim at the state’s contract with a company that provides non-emergency medical transportation for Rhode Islanders through Medicaid.
The contract was expiring, needed to be renegotiated,
and she felt the state was not getting its money’s worth, since ridership under
the program was dropping and the state was paying many times more per ride than
it should.
Through her role as Human Services Subcommittee
chairwoman, she prodded those involved to renegotiate the contract, which
yielded a significant portion back to the state in rebates each month.
While that specific contract is not directly tied to the
RIPTA no-fare bus pass program, the savings it generated offset much of the
cost of the passes, helping to make it possible for the Finance Committee to
make room in the budget for that program.
“None of us wanted to see the no-fare pass program for
the elderly and disabled end, and ensuring that it be restored was really a
high priority for me,” said Representative Tanzi.
“I’m glad to have been able to help find a way we could
identify savings in another area to fund a program that makes such a difference
in people’s lives.
“While 50 cents may not sound like much, for low-income
people who rely on the bus for transportation, it adds up quickly, and it
results in many adverse effects when they are forced to make tough choices
about where they can and can’t afford to go. While I look forward to a
permanent funding source being identified, I’m happy to have been able to contribute
to bringing back this program and getting no-fare bus passes back into the
hands of people who desperately need them,” she said.
