RIPTA in case you were wondering is the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. They run the bus system here in Rhode Island.
Now well over a decade ago they went from a zoned system to a one state, one rate system.
And with the budget crunch right now – they want to go BACK to a zoned system.
I’ll describe why that’s stupid.
It will unnecessarily complicate fare products. I’ll use as an example the product of theirs that I use most, the 15 ride pass. How would that work under a zoned system?
Not to mention it’ll also cause major problems as they won’t necessarily publish that there are zones that well.
Of course many years ago legislators tied RIPTA’s fortunes to the a few cents on the gasoline tax. But people are buying less gasoline with more fuel efficient vehicles. So RIPTA’s budget takes the hit.
It’s a delicate balance. But maybe as I’ve stated in the past they should just merge in with the MBTA. Because the MBTA – they charge the communities they serve. Yeah. And it’s not like there’s not precedent since RIPTA now sends buses to the South Attleboro train stop in MASSACHUSETTS.
But then I contend I’m paying $330 a month for an MBTA pass – it should work on RIPTA.
Spewing Truth in the face of Lies 
With smart cards, they could bill each passenger for distance traveled — swipe once to get on the bus, again when exiting.
Passengers with no smart card would simply pay the maximum fare, as would people who dash off the bus without swiping.
Problem is they spent a bundle on GFI Genfare systems. They can use an RFID card but I doubt that would work. I’d love to get my hands on the test kit for the Genfare – because I have a few blank tickets I could encode.