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laterbacon t1_j6ns0qh wrote

Reply to comment by Dances_With_Cheese in Thoughts on the viability of zero-fare transit in RI? by SillySycamore

While most stops could definitely use a lot of improvement, RIPTA hasn't used the telephone pole bands in years. There is one of these metal signs at every stop: https://i.imgur.com/nxPElDp.jpg

Also, the Transit app makes using RIPTA really pretty easy nowadays. All the maps and schedules are in there and it's basically Google Maps but for transit & walking (& biking if you configure it that way). It will tell you when to leave in order to give you enough time to walk to the stop and have a couple minutes leeway. It's officially supported by RIPTA but it works for all transit systems, so you can seamlessly see RIPTA, MBTA, and GATRA (ugh) info together.

That said, there need to be route numbers on signs, and real-time arrival info at major stops at a bare minimum, and I wholeheartedly agree with you about the lack of any semblance of decent pedestrian infrastructure.

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Good-Expression-4433 t1_j6nzl9n wrote

I wish the signs were more common and kept updated. In parts of Providence, finding the actual bus stop can be kind of a nightmare as the signs aren't there whether destroyed by others or just not labeled, or are poorly placed or faded to shit.

I rely on the bus pretty heavily as a poor and disabled person but there's been multiple times I've missed my bus because the stop wasn't labeled and I had to guess based on Google Maps markings but apparently guessed wrong.

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laterbacon t1_j6oa7iw wrote

Yea the state of most bus stops is atrocious. Terrible sidewalks, always trash, nowhere to sit, no shade, no snow removal, missing/old signs. Non-drivers are always an afterthought and its endlessly frustrating

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