PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Monday voted to phase out free bus passes for elderly and disabled riders, but delayed the move to next summer and scaled back how much those riders will have to pay, the Providence Journal reported.

The RIPTA board voted unanimously to begin charging holders of passes for elderly and disabled — who now ride free — 50 cents per ride starting July 1. Additionally, the seven-day pass for full-fare riders will rise from $23 to $25 and the price of a monthly pass will jump from $62 to $70, the report said.

Raymond Studley, CEO of RIPTA, described the free passes as virtually unique nationwide, with programs in Pennsylvania and Illinois the closest to what Rhode Island has provided, according to the Providence Journal.

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