The rhode island public transit authority would like to make critical investments in improving our passenger-facing and internal operational technologies

The Federal Transit Administration awarded the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority $1.25 million on July 27, 2026, under the Community Project Funding Congressionally Directed Spending program (CFDA 20.534) to upgrade passenger-facing and internal operational technologies.

The recipient will upgrade its core scheduling and daily service operations software (HASTUS); acquire and deploy a unified enterprise resource planning system to manage accounting, procurement, project management, risk management, compliance, and supply chain operations; install real-time information screens at major transportation hubs and bus stops statewide; improve or replace its computer-aided dispatch and automated vehicle location systems on vehicles; replace fareboxes and support development of an account-based fare collection system; and acquire and implement a unified transit data solution with enhanced analytics capabilities to provide staff and passengers with clearer data insights, more accurate real-time arrival information, service disruption communications, and rider alerts. The work is expected to optimize back-office systems and provide existing and potential riders more reliable information to increase ridership.

Performance occurs in Rhode Island with an ultimate completion date of May 30, 2031. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, a state government transit authority based in Providence, is the direct awardee. No sub-recipients are identified.

Activities

Upgrading our core scheduling and daily service operations software known as hastus. Acquisition and implementation of new unified enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting procurement project management risk management and compliance and supply chain operations; better helping ripta streamline business processes. Acquisition and deployment of new real-time information screens at major transportation hubs and various bus stops statewide to better inform riders. Enable ripta to make improvements to/or replace the existing computer-aided dispatch and automated vehicle location systems known as CAD/AVL onboard vehicles. Replacement of fareboxes and support ongoing development of our account-based fare collection system. Acquisition and implementation of a unified transit data solution that can offer greater granularity of collected data running IT through a stronger analytical process which would provide clearer results insights and visualizations for staff to make more informed decisions. Additional modules can offer passengers more accurate real-time arrivals communications on service disruptions and rider alerts and enable better and more dynamic information on day-to-day operations and on-time performance.

Expected outcomes

Ripta better optimizes our back-of-house systems and provides existing and potential riders more reliable information to increased ridership on the network.

Intended beneficiaries

Existing and potential riders.