Update: RIPTA chairman resigns
11:27 AM Wed, Aug 20, 2008 | Permalink
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By Bruce Landis PROVIDENCE -- Robert D. Batting, the first of Governor Carcieri's appointees to the state transit authority board and its chairman, has resigned. Batting leaves the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority at a critical juncture, with the agency facing a $12 million budget deficit that threatens to force significant cutbacks in its bus service during the next several months. He has been a vigorous, long-time critic of the authority's management and accompanied confirmation of his departure with sharp criticism of what he said has been noncooperation and worse on the part of authority officials. Batting, whose resignation was effective Aug. 13, also earned the dislike of many RIPTA officials and employees, who saw him as a threat to both themselves and to the state's public transit system. He had not gotten along with RIPTA's managers almost since his appointment in 2003. He said Tuesday that he confronted at the authority "a situation where management continues along a route where I didn't want any part of it." He said the problems at the agency included "deception on the part of management." For example, he said, it took him months to get what he considered adequate financial data. Alfred J. Moscola, RIPTA's general manager, denied any deception this morning. In fact, Moscola said, he answered Batting's questions and tried to do what he wanted. "I don't think he understands transit the way I know it," said Moscola, who also had a long career in the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority. Batting was also blocked on some key votes by other appointees by Governor Carcieri, notably in the authority board's July approval of a project Batting has opposed for years, a $38 million facility on Elmwood Avenue for its large paratransit system serving the elderly and handicapped. 
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RIPTA should be taken over by the MBTA. After all, the MBTA runs the commuter rail coming into Rhode Island and have experience in rumnning a transit system. And with the MBTA running the agency, they could run RIPTA buses from Rhode Island to Massachusetts (for example, from Providence to Seekonk and Attleboro), and that's convenient for those live in Rhode Island and work in Massachusetts.
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What is it understand? (understanding transit) Verified Financial Data does not lie. It cannot hold bias. If people are holding financial data back, from their own Board of Directors, they are likely hiding something. Keeping information, or even stalling it needlessly, from people (data which should be otheriwse public anyway), shows nothing but a tendancy for corruption and personal mismanagement. And suddenly, surprise!!, RIPTA is facing a 12 Million dollar budget gap? Sounds like Mr. Batting opened a can of worms without really realizing it.
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Sounds like the spoiled kid on the playground who doesn't get to play the game he wants and decides to leave with his ball. What a freaking clown!
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Thank You Mr. Batting for trying to do a good job. You were up against the worst of the worst.
Time to FIRE all of the RIPTA leadership and sell RIPTA to a private company.
Everyone knows RIPTA is nothing but a patronage machine.
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If RIPTA would take the buses back from the loud, foul-mouthed punks maybe more people would ride buses. I used to, I hate buses with a passion now that the "gangstas" have been allowed to take them over. Kennedy Plaza has more cops patrolling there - every day - than any place in Providence
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Converting RIPTA to a private company would not solve the problems.
However, adopting an MBTA like solution might go a long way in solving them. As an example, MBTA not only gets state and federal funding, every community they serve kicks in for the service.
Even the Providence commuter is subsidized in this method. And soon enough MBTA commuter trains will run into Warwick. I noticed it on one of the kiosk maps up in South Station a couple of days ago.
As to Paul, I'm curious what line he's ridden? I've never heard much vulgar language and to be honest, some of those he describes as 'gangstas' are mostly all bluster and no bite.
And Kennedy plaza isn't bad. I love the chicken littles that think it's a war zone. It isn't.
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Bob, what do you mean by patronage machine? Do you mean people like the Director of Maintenance, Bernie Harwood?
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This parting of the ways may have been more about commuter rail and less about RIPTA. Mr. Batting was on the Public Rail Corporation board and was responsible to bring MBTA service to Warwick. This effort is failing because Rhode Island DOT is refusing to buy a train set for service to Warwick. He went to a rail board meeting on August 8th and quit five days later. Perhaps he did not like the games that RI DOT is playing in claiming that the MBTA is coming when it clearly is not.
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