§ 39-18-4. Powers and duties of the authority.
(a) The authority is hereby authorized and empowered:
(1) To adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;
(2) To adopt an official seal and alter the seal at pleasure;
(3) To maintain an office at such place or places within the state as it may designate;
(4) To sue and be sued in its own name, plead, and be impleaded; provided, however, that
any and all actions against the authority shall be brought only in the county in which
the principal office of the authority shall be located;
(5) To acquire, purchase, hold, use, and dispose of any property, real, personal, or mixed,
tangible or intangible, or any interest therein, necessary or desirable for carrying
out the purposes of the authority, and to lease as lessee or lessor any property,
real, personal, or mixed, or any interest therein, for such term and at such rental
as the authority may deem fair and reasonable, and to sell, transfer, convey, mortgage,
or give a security interest in any property, real, personal, or mixed, tangible or
intangible, or any interest therein, at any time acquired by the authority;
(6) To employ, in its discretion, planning, architectural, and engineering consultants,
attorneys, accountants, construction, financial, transportation, and traffic experts
and consultants, superintendents, managers, and such other officers, employees, and
agents as may be necessary in its judgment, and to fix their compensation;
(7)(i) To fix, from time to time, subject to the provisions of this chapter, schedules and
such rates of fare and charges for service furnished or operated as in its judgment
are best adopted to ensure sufficient income to meet the cost of service; provided,
however, the authority is not empowered to operate a passenger vehicle under its control
in competition with passenger vehicles of a private carrier over routes that the private
carrier operates pursuant to a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued
to the private carrier by the division of public utilities and carriers; and provided
further that the authority shall not require any person who meets the means-test criteria
as defined by the Rhode Island office of healthy aging and who is either sixty-five
(65) years of age, or over, or who is a person with a disability to pay more than
one-half (½) of any fare for bus rides; provided, however, that under no circumstances
shall fares or charges for special service routes be discounted. Any person who is
either sixty-five (65) years of age, or over, or who is a person with a disability,
who does not satisfy the means-test criteria as heretofore provided, shall only be
required to pay one-half (½) of the fare or charge for bus rides during off-peak hours,
but shall not be eligible for a reduction during peak hours. For the purposes of this
chapter, "peak hours,� "off-peak hours,� and "special service routes� shall be determined
annually by the authority. The authority, in conjunction with the department of human
services, shall establish an advisory committee comprised of seniors/persons with
disabilities who are constituent users of the authority's services to assist in the
implementation of this section;
(ii) Any person who accompanies and is assisting a person with a disability when the person
with a disability uses a wheelchair shall be eligible for the same price exemptions
extended to a person with a disability by subsection (a)(7)(i). The cost to the authority
for providing the service to the elderly shall be paid by the state;
(iii) Any person who accompanies and is assisting a passenger who is blind or visually impaired
shall be eligible for the same price exemptions extended to the passenger who is blind
or visually impaired by subsection (a)(7)(i). The cost to the authority for providing
the service to the elderly shall be paid by the state;
(iv) The authority shall be authorized and empowered to charge a fare for any paratransit
services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Part 37;
(8) To borrow money and to issue bonds of the authority for any of its purposes including,
without limitation, the borrowing of money in anticipation of the issuance of bonds
or the receipt of any operating revenues or other funds or property to be received
by the authority, and the financing of property to be owned by others and used, in
whole or substantial part, by the authority for any of its purposes, all as may, from
time to time, be authorized by resolution of the authority; the bonds to contain on
their face a statement to the effect that neither the state nor any municipality or
other political subdivision of the state shall be obligated to pay the same or the
interest thereon;
(9) To enter into management contracts for the operation, management, and supervision
of any or all transit properties under the jurisdiction of the authority, and to make
and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance
of its duties and the execution of its powers under this chapter;
(10) Without limitation of the foregoing, to borrow money from, to receive and accept grants
for or in aid of the purchase, leasing, improving, equipping, furnishing, maintaining,
repairing, constructing, and operating of transit property, and to enter into contracts,
leases, or other transactions with any federal agency; and to receive and accept from
the state, from any municipality, or other political subdivision thereof, and from
any other source, aid or contributions of either money, property, labor, or other
things of value, to be held, used, and applied only for the purposes for which the
grants and contributions may be made;
(11) To acquire in the name of the authority, by negotiated purchase or otherwise, on such
terms and conditions and in such manner as it may deem proper, or by the exercise
of the power of condemnation to the extent only and in the manner as provided in this
chapter, public and private lands, including public parks, playgrounds or reservations,
or parts thereof, or rights therein, rights-of-way, property rights, easements, and
interests as it may deem necessary for carrying out the provisions of this chapter;
provided, however, that all public property damaged in carrying out the powers granted
by this chapter shall be restored or repaired and placed in its original condition
as nearly as practicable;
(12) To contract with any municipality, public or private company or organization, whereby
the authority will receive a subsidy to avoid discontinuance of service, and each
municipality within the state is hereby authorized to make and enter into such contracts
and to make, grant, or give to the authority a subsidy in such amount and for such
period of time as it may deem advisable;
(13) To operate open-door service from Rhode Island to and from locations in Massachusetts
and Connecticut that are within five (5) miles of the Rhode Island border; and
(14) To do all things necessary, convenient, or desirable to carry out the purposes of
this chapter.
(b) To effectuate the purposes of this chapter the authority shall have the following
duties:
(1) To participate in and contribute to transportation planning initiatives that are relevant
to the purposes of the authority;
(2) To plan, coordinate, develop, operate, maintain, and manage a statewide public transit
system consistent with the purposes of the authority, including plans to meet demands
for public transit where such demand, current or prospective, exceeds supply and/or
availability of public transit services;
(3) To work with departments, agencies, authorities, and corporations of federal, state,
and local government, public and private institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizations,
users of the system, and other entities and persons to coordinate public transit services
and provide a seamless network of mobility options.