The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in Downtown, Providence. The authority serves over 71,000 people a day, in 38 out of 39 Rhode Island communities.
In addition to its buses, RIPTA also operates a CNG-powered tourist trolley service called the Providence LINK as well as a ferry boat from Providence to Newport during the summer season.
Of particular note is its exclusive bus tunnel under College Hill known as the East Side Trolley Tunnel. Built in 1914, the tunnel is arguably the first example of bus rapid transit in the country when in 1948 buses replaced trolleys through the tunnel. The RIPTA was created in 1966 by the Rhode Island General Assembly to supervise what had been previously a system of privately run bus and trolley systems.
