PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island should greatly increase its investment in the state’s public transit system, a leading environmental group and an allied riders’ union contend in a report released today.

“Rhode Island must agressively commit to long-term transit investment, starting now,” said the report prepared by the Sierra Club’s Rhode Island Chapter. “Not only in maintenance and enhancement of the current system, but also towards expansion – including into other modes, such as light commuter rail, bus rapid transit (buses operated like in-city rail, with limited fixed stops along dedicated lanes) and auxilliary services such as subsidized commuter vanpools.”

Since 2003, public transit ridership in Rhode Island has been increasing at a rate of about 10 percent per year, the study found. That trend is expected to continue as fuel costs stay high and traffic congestion on major roadways worsens.

Meanwhile, however, the improvement and expansion of the R.I. Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) system has been impeded by the absence of a reliable funding stream, the analysts contend.

The report noted that RIPTA receives 7.25 cents for every gallon of gasoline sold at retail in the state. And because of that formula, the tax can actually become less helpful to the transit authority when fuel prices – and thus, operating costs – rise.

“When the cost of gas goes up, RIPTA does not get any more money as a result of the increase in price,” the report said. “In fact, rising gas costs typically reduce gas sales. So when people drive less, RIPTA loses the extra money needed to pick up the slack – while at the same time paying more itself for fuel.”

Instead, the report suggested, the gasoline tax should be indexed to inflation or the price of fuel and tolls should be added to state highways, with a portion of the revenue diverted to RIPTA. It also listed other possible sources of funding, including employer taxes; parking excises; parking taxes; sales taxes; motor vehicle fees; real-estate transaction and subdivision taxes; and private sponsorship.

RIPTA’s capital funding should also be ramped up, using tax-increment financing (TIF), developer support and federal dollars, the report suggested.

Its authors also stressed the importance of making public transportation an attractive option for Rhode Islanders.

“Transit must not only be available, accessible, reliable and convenient, but also worthwhile,” they wrote. “Maximizing the benefits of transit means making it desirable, not merely suitable.”

The report, “A Fare Choice: How Rhode Island Can Invest in Public Transit and Energy Independence,” was written by Tom Sgouros and Wesli Dymoke, and funded through a grant from The Prince Charitable Trusts of Rhode Island.

The local Sierra Club is active in the New Public Transit Alliance (NuPTA), which it describes as a “coalition of bus riders, businesses, smart growth, labor, health and environmental groups dedicated to renewing public transportation in Rhode Island.” NuPTA meets monthly at the Sierra Club in Providence.

“The Ocean State needs a public transportation system that is able to grow with demand,” Sierra Club Chapter Director Chris Wilhite said in a statement today. “With smart investments in clean, affordable transportation choices in Rhode Island, our state can move toward a future of energy independence, clean air and climate recovery.”

Additional information about the New Public Transit Alliance (NuPTA) is available from the Sierra Club’s Rhode Island Chapter at www.ri.sierraclub.org, where the full, 32-page “Fare Choice” report is available as a PDF document.