Game on, fare off. RIPTA offering free bus rides to soccer matches for $150K in courtesy ads.

Yahoo

13-05-2025

A banner advertising the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is shown at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket during the home opener for Rhode Island FC on May 3, 2025. (Courtesy photo from the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority)
Rhode Island FC has yet to notch a home-field victory since its May 3 home opener ended in a tie at its new Pawtucket stadium, but the cash-strapped Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is calling its new partnership with the state's only professional soccer team a win for fans and bus riders.
Under an agreement signed in late April and obtained by Rhode Island Current, the bus agency will provide fare-free rides on six buses operating during home games at Centreville Bank Stadium through the end of 2027, along with other select events at the stadium. The stadium is scheduled to host 18 home games in 2025 — 15 United Soccer League regular season matches and three cup games.
'No monetary compensation will be exchanged,' states the memorandum of understanding between the team and the bus agency, now facing a projected $32.6 million budget deficit due to federal pandemic relief aid drying up.
But RIPTA has confirmed it will receive $150,000 in courtesy advertising from the deal.
'Rhode Island Football Club provides a unique opportunity for RIPTA to draw new ridership,' agency spokesperson Sara Furbush said in an email.
RIPTA's partnership with Rhode Island FC runs through Dec. 31, 2027, though the team has the option to opt out in 2026. But so far the team has no complaints since its May 3 home debut ended in a 0-0 draw before the soldout crowd of 10,700 spectators.
Nathan Robillard, Rhode Island FC's communications specialist, said the team is happy with RIPTA's game day bus service. 'If we're asking people to park a mile away from the stadium, we want to give them a way there for free,' he said.
More than 9,500 spectators attended the following home game May 7, when Rhode Island FC lost 2-1 to the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup's Round of 32. The third home game on May 10 ended with a tie 2-2.
A little more than 1,500 riders used the stadium route loop during the first two matches at Centreville Bank Stadium, according to RIPTA.
Alec Beckett, a strategic partner at NAIL Communications in Providence, called the collaboration between RIPTA and the soccer team a 'win-win.' NAIL designed Rhode Island FC's logo.
Beckett said RIPTA likely faces little overhead since it already owns its buses while the team only had to put up some signs inside the stadium — along with guaranteeing space for the occasional broadcast ad.
'It's kind of smart for both parties,' Beckett said. 'They're both giving something of value.'
Under the agreement, Rhode Island FC will provide the agency with two live TV reads per local telecast on myRITV and the New England Sports Network for 17 games, along with one 30-second commercial per game. A similar arrangement for radio broadcasts is valid for 18 games.
Broadcast ads are still in development, Furbush said.
Digitally, the team will promote RIPTA's game day service on its website, along with banners on each of Rhode Island FC's 'Know Before You Go' emails and monthly e-newsletters.
Rhode Island FC must also provide RIPTA with in-stadium signage at each home game, including three minutes of field display through an LED board, one static board, and two concourse ribbon signs.
The team's partnership pamphlet boasts the newly opened Centreville Bank Stadium as the largest such outdoor venue in Rhode Island, which presents 'an incredibly unique opportunity for high-impact branding.'
Rhode Island FC projects 300,000 visitors coming through the gates annually, with 85% of fans described as likely to support club advertisers.
Such a prospect of new riders has public transit advocate John Flaherty excited over this new partnership for RIPTA.
'They need to be nimble like that when there are opportunities,' Flaherty, a senior adviser for GrowSmart RI, said in an interview. 'Many of the people who jump on the loop are probably people who would not otherwise have set foot on a bus, but for their desire to get to the stadium.'
In return for added eyeballs on its branding, RIPTA has covered three buses in its fleet with Rhode Island FC-branded wraps, at a cost of $20,400 to create and install, Furbish said. Full bus wraps typically cost advertisers between $5,040 to $6,000 every four weeks depending on the length of a campaign, according to the 2025 rate card from Vector Media, the New York company which handles ads for RIPTA.
The game day line is an extension of the existing R-Line, funded through reimbursements from the Federal Highway Administration's Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, which connects Cranston, Providence and Pawtucket. The standard fare to ride the bus is $2. Waiving that usual fee helps make the game day service easier for RIPTA drivers to manage, Furbush said.
Labor cost for the first game day service was around $2,661, Furbush said.
Buses run from three hours before kickoff until one hour after postgame events end. Buses operate on an eight to 10-minute loop between stops, with the final drop-off at Ivan Perez Memorial Park, about a two-minute walk from the stadium.
RIPTA CEO Christopher Durand said the partnership with Rhode Island FC is a great opportunity for growth.
'Tens of thousands of people will be trying transit for the first time, and in doing so, (be) attracted to ride in the future,' Durand said in a statement to Rhode Island Current. 'Riders will use RIPTA beyond the downtown Pawtucket route to access the game in the easiest way possible.'
Rhode Island FC's next home game is scheduled May 24, when the club will host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
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