Category: Public Transit

Alright, last of the CCRI-Providence triplets! If the 30 is slightly express and the 21 is half-express, how express-bound is the 22? Well….

The route, just like the 21 and 30, begins at CCRI and heads down. And, just like the 30, turns down East Ave. towards the interstate and Greenwich Ave, skipping the Rhode Island Mall. It also goes down Greenwich Ave. and deviates into the Warwick Mall, blah blah blah. It turns down Mayfield Ave. with the 21 as well, but unlike the 21, it does NOT turn into the prison! Surprising!

From here, it goes straight down Pontiac Ave., the route’s namesake, as it passes the various prison buildings on one side and a Pepsi plant on the other. It then goes under RI-37 and past some businesses, then it turns very suburban.

Now, the route keeps going down Pontiac Avenue past the elementary school and a Dave’s. Soon enough, it becomes Rolfe Square, at the other end is where a Beach Bus connection can be made on weekends. However, we’re not interested in that. Moving right along!

Crossing over the freeway, we enter Providence and Reservoir Ave. And, to answer the question about “how express is the 22?”, the answer is “not very”. We pressed on down Reservoir Ave until….oh no….not a detour.

Normally, the route would just be a straight shot across the train tracks and a bridge, but um….the bridge doesn’t exist currently. So, it turns down the side street, makes a pair of turns at the next overpass, and presses on down Elmwood Ave. One can also find RIPTA facilities here.

Things got very urban very quick, as we passed by all sorts of businesses. These ranged from your average Subway, to a discount store that wasn’t Dollar Tree or Family Dollar. There was also a big church around here. We then crossed the interstate after meeting with the R Line and went straight into the heart of downtown via Weybosset Street, turning into Kennedy Plaza after the Turk’s Head Building.

The good: It’s about as local as a CCRI-Providence route can be. The only more “local” one can get, is if the 1 were to be extended from T.F. Green to CCRI via Main Ave. But, please no thanks on that one. It also serves a lot of people inherently due to being routed along Elmwood and Reservoir Avenues. Ridership is slightly higher than the 21’s, with about 1300 average daily riders. However, this was from when the 22 ended at the Warwick Mall, so it’s likely more now.

The bad: It can become delayed to hell due to Elmwood Ave., and in particular the detoured area, becoming a major choke point during the evening commute. Would running express help this? Probably, albeit at the expense of not serving Elmwood Avenue. I also can’t help but think that timing should be coordinated with the 21 and 30 for trips to the Warwick Mall and CCRI every 10 minutes on the shared portions of all three.

Nearby points of interest: Warwick Mall, I guess. Rolfe Square as well. Apparently you can gamble your soul away at the lottery headquarters, too.

Overall, it’s an alright route. It’s the most direct into Providence and the most local-running one as well, out of the three CCRI-Providence routes. I do, however, wonder if ridership today would warrant any frequency increases, or a bump to “key corridor” status. Probably not, but at the same time it serves a lot of people to where it shouldn’t be considered down the road.

Rating: 6.5/10

Oh boy, looks like we’re heading to South County today! What’s this? Ooh, an express route! Let’s see if the 65X is as good as some other people make it out to be.

Normally, the route begins at the Dunk and Convention Center and does the Downcity Loop, but I boarded it at Kennedy Plaza. From here, it was basically a straight shot onto the interstate southbound.

From here, we hauled down the interstate at a steady 60 or so miles an hour, passing by the hospital, the building where various radio stations broadcast from, Nibbles Woodaway (no shot sadly 🙁 ), and eventually various exits. Unlike the 66, we were able to skip the T.F. Green Airport and CCRI deviations, and take exit 9 onto RI-4. However, we still had to deviate off RI-4 at exit 5 to serve a park and ride lot. A few people got off here. From here, we kept going straight down South County Trail, passing a few businesses in a not very dense area, and then deviated into Wickford Junction. Nobody got off here. We then got back on RI-4.

Eventually, the freeway numbering ended after the exit for Wickford Junction. From here, it was two red lights and…wait, what?! WHY IS THERE A BUS STOP OUT HERE OF ALL PLACES?!?! Yeah, I’m confused on that

From here, we went down US-1, passing by a whole lot of rural houses. Some businesses were mixed in too, as well as farmlands. Nevertheless, it was quite the long road and- WHY ARE THERE RED LIGHTS ON A FREEWAY?! That’s what pisses me off about this section of freeway, between US-1 from Westerly to RI-4, and RI-4 before exit 3. Are the NIMBYs that hellbent on not having decent-flowing traffic?! Anyways, enough of me ranting. We deviated into another park and ride lot at the Hannah Robinson Tower at the intersection of US-1 and Bridgetown Road. A couple of people got off here. From here, it was largely a straight shot to Wakefield, passing by the DMV and a development, South County Commons.

The good: It’s a direct link (mostly) between Wakefield, Wickford Junction, and downtown Providence. And it shows, too! It’s the most-used express route in the system, with an average of 142 people using it on weekdays. The schedule also shows this, with 6 inbound trips in the morning spaced 15 minutes apart, and 5 outbound trips spaced half an hour apart. Plus it skips most of the 66’s deviations, meaning it gets better run time than that.

The bad: It’s a very long ride. There’s just no way around the fact that any bus ride from Kennedy Plaza to South County is going to inherently be long. Also, the fact the bus route just abruptly ends seemingly at Wakefield feels a little weird, but that’s a minor nitpick. What’s with the odd outbound trip to Galilee, too? It’s not even noted on the schedule, nor does it have an inbound counterpart! Hell, it may as well become a Galilee express. I’m sure it’d be better as one, anyways, and if a Galilee express does become a thing it should at least have round trips that time with the Block Island Ferry outside the morning and evening peaks. Apparently RIPTA snuck in an extra timepoint – to Salt Pond Plaza, on every trip. Cool.

Nearby points of interest: Wakefield! Also, Wickford Junction. One can transfer to the 69 to Galilee and URI, as well. One could also include Salt Pond.

Overall, it’s largely what an express route should be: direct, fast, and mostly deviation-free (excepting park & ride lots). It also shows with the ridership this thing gets, being the most-used express. Amusingly (or quite sad, rather), is that it’s faster to take this bus route to Providence, than it is to take the MBTA.

UPDATE: I have found out RIPTA has, presumably silently, added Salt Pond Plaza to all trips. Gee, thanks!
Original rating: 7/10
Rating: 6.5/10

Ah, the 30. Truth be told, this route is a personal favorite with the fact it’s as straight a shot to Providence as possible between it, the 21, and the 22. I also happened to do this with Wintry Reiko (their online alias). Let’s look at the route, shall we?

We start off at CCRI, with quite possibly the ugliest college campus building in the state. Just like the 21, we pull out down to East Ave., however unlike the 21 we do NOT deviate into Rhode Island Mall. Instead, we just take a right towards Greenwich Ave., and then a left. From here, we went straight down and towards the mall, deviating into it. We did the mall deviation then pulled back out to Greenwich Ave., which was soon Oaklawn Ave.

Of course, while the 21 and 22 go down Mayfield Ave., the 30 instead keeps going straight. Several people got on going down Oaklawn Ave. After a few miles and fancy-looking apartments that look like they belong to rich people, the road reached a roundabout, and we went down Cranston Street from here. Soon enough, we were in Knightsville. From here, one can transfer to the 17.

We kept going straight, then hooked a right at the church and cemetary. From here, we kept going straight and past Dyer Avenue, where one can also transfer to the 17. Instead, we went straight and took a left to keep on Cranston Street. Down here were mostly businesses and some houses, with Carolina Street bringing one to Brewery Parkade, where the 31 terminates. Further down was another Dollar Tree, an empty plot of land and OH GOD WE’RE EXPRESS NOW! Yeah, we got on RI-10 and expressed all the way to downtown from here. Fortunately traffic wasn’t bad as we expressed to Memorial Boulevard and, soon enough, Kennedy Plaza.

The good: It’s direct! It’s about as straight a shot to Providence as one can get from CCRI. It’s also pretty efficient as a commuter-oriented route. Ridership data also supports that it’s better as such, with just under 600 daily riders on average. It also happens to be the first morning bus out of CCRI! However….

The bad: Unlike the 21 and 22, it’s also not as frequent. Every 50 minutes vs. every 30 for the other two. I also wonder if there’d be any benefit to a Brewery Parkade deviation here.

Overall, it’s a good route. It’s direct and one of the faster ways between CCRI and downtown Providence. Its schedule is probably the biggest pitfall, but it’s still not terrible for a commuter-oriented route. At least, I think it is one. I’d certainly up the frequency to 30 minutes and coordinate it with the 21 and 22 for CCRI-Providence service every 10 minutes out of CCRI. And that’s before the 14 and 66 are brought into the picture! But maybe, the ridership doesn’t justify a frequency increase.

Rating: 7/10

Ah, the 20. We have a route that runs through southern Providence, eastern Cranston, and Warwick all the way to T.F. Green. Verseus the 1, it’s the more direct route. So, let’s look at it, shall we?

So, it goes through downtown via Washington Street, yada yada yada, and crosses I-95. From here, it shoots straight down Elmwood Avenue, while the R Line goes left onto Broad Street. I’ll also add, that in a way, this could also be the US-1 route. Going down Broad Street, it was mostly urban buildings. The neighborhood isn’t the best, but it’s at least better than Roxbury. Moving on, we passed a bunch of businesses and a library. Eventually, the 22 splits off at Reservoir Ave…..or it would, if the bridge wasn’t out. We pressed on further past a Subway, and eventually RIPTA headquarters by Thackery Street. We also passed Roger Williams Ave, where the 22 splits off for its relatively long-term detour.

Instead of turning, we went straight and under I-95. The entrance for Roger Williams Park is also here. However, the 20 does NOT deviate into the park. Instead, we went straight and past Park Ave., which also has a bridge that’s out. We then passed a Job Lot and Price Rite, where short-turn trips end. However, this was a full run, so we pressed on.

We eventually made it to Wellington Avenue, crossing the Pawtuxet River, and entering Warwick. From here, it was a straight shot to the airport, passing by some houses and decrepit buildings, and turning right down Post Road.

Eventually, I pull the stop request cord at the last stop before the airport. “We just passed the stop!” the driver said in irritation. I then told the driver I was heading to the airport. He groaned, had a look of irritation, and pulled into the airport. Sorry? I mean, I get it’s early in the morning still but you literally drive a bus route heading to T.F. Green. You should expect there be at least ONE soul heading to T.F. Green.

From here, I then made my way up to the skybridge and walked all the way to the MBTA train platform to meet up with a friend, on the way to Boston.

The good: It’s a local route that serves T.F. Green, and is faster than the 1! Yeah, the 1 comes just as often (20 minutes in the core section between Shaw’s and Pawtucket, 40 in the section to South Attleboro and T.F. Green), but Eddy Street tends to get really clogged really fast. Elmwood Ave. doesn’t get as bad. It’s also more direct, with no deviations.

The bad: The annoyance of having every other trip end at Job Lot in Cranston. Also, what’s with the odd trips to N.E. Tech’s Post Road campus? Turns out, my trip was one of said trips, but I didn’t know because the signage only said T.F. Green via Elmwood Avenue. Also, what’s with the short-turn trips ending at Job Lot? I mean, on weekends only full-length trips end there. Also, why isn’t there any full-time NEIT Post Road service? Or, any service past the airport on Post Road? I know the 14 used to go down this section, but did noone ever use it?

Overall, it’s a somewhat weird route. Why exactly, are the NEIT trips not advertised on the headsigns for the route, so instead of it saying T.F. Green Airport via Elmwood Ave., it cycles between N.E. Tech via T.F. Green Airport/Elmwood Ave. for one of the NEIT trips? And what’s with the short-turn trips terminating at Price Rite? If it’s popular enough, just have every run serve the front door as a deviation (within business hours, of course). However, these shortcomings don’t hinder ridership, as it was quite busy for an early Thursday morning run, and it’s the 3rd highest-ridership route at over 2700 daily passengers.

Rating: 8/10

Remember how I said in the 3’s post how I referred to both that route and this as “RIPTA’s evil twins”? Well, the 3 was relatively tame in that there’s actually stuff to do along the route. The 4, on the other hand…..

So, to preserve my sanity when doing this route, I didn’t start all the way at Warwick Neck. What was there to even do near the 4’s terminus? Nothing. It’s buried deep in a residential neighborhood. So, how does the 4 reach civilization? It goes around the turnaround point at the intersection of Warwick Neck and Barton. From here, it heads northbound to Samuel Gorton Ave., then turns left at Longmeadow Ave. Turning left at Draper Ave. would bring it to West Shore Road and the Warwick Schools administrative office, places people would actually want to get to. As would ending the route at Rocky Point State Park. The route then takes a left at Tidewater Drive and goes down to West Shore Road there. It then goes right, bringing it to where I board.

The route follows West Shore Road through Conimicut Village. Eventually, the village area ends and it’s normal suburbia. We then reached the intersection at Airport Road and Warwick Ave. From here, we went right onto Warwick Ave.

Soon enough, we reached Narragansett Parkway. From here, we took a right and headed towards Pawtuxet Village. The area is a historic village area, typical of most New England towns. The Gaspee Arts & Crafts festival, along with the parade, are all held around here (and yes, the 4 gets detoured, as a result). Soon enough, Narragansett Parkway turns into Broad Street.

Soon enough, the village became suburbia again, but denser than on Warwick Ave. We were also in Cranston at this point. By the time we reached the intersections of Warwick and Norwood Avenues, we went right to join with the 3. Down here were somewhat dense housing, the ocean, and JWU’s Harborside campus.

Of course, just like the 3, the area became a freakin’ wasteland. Welcome to the Port of Providence, I guess. Also just like the 3, we turned down Blackstone Boulevard, deviated through the layover area for RIPTA buses, and then went past the hospital. Also just like the 3, no deviation here. From here, it was a straight shot, through Dorrance and Dyer Streets, and then Kennedy Plaza. This was where I got off, although the route does continue to the train station.

The good: It serves as a direct connection to Providence for the people along Warwick Neck and Warwick Ave., as well as Pawtuxet Village! As far as I can tell, the route was more designed as a commuter-oriented route, and it gets the job done quite well for that. However…..

The bad: It has the same schedule weirdness as the 3, because they’re tied together. Also, why doesn’t it get extended to Rocky Point Park? I’m sure, if it’s intended for commuters, there might be enough demand for a Warwick Neck/Oakland Beach express route.

Nearby points of interest: The industrial wastelands of Allens Ave. There’s also Providence Station and Pawtuxet Village. Conimicut too. Rocky Point as well, if you’re willing to walk.

Overall, it could be better. Yes, I get it’s commuter-oriented. But like, there’s nothing in Warwick Neck, and if a commuter route is necessary, I’m sure there’d be more demand for an Oakland Beach/Warwick Neck express that serves the Airport Road park & ride lot. Plus, why doesn’t it serve Rocky Point Park? Nevertheless, thank goodness I got one of the more evil RIPTA routes off my to-do list.

Rating: 5.5/10