Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (Mss. Gr. 234)

Historical note

The Rhode Island Public Transit authority first began in 1865 as a privately owned horse-operated system known as the Union Railroad. Transportation was rapidly transformed with the introduction of the electric trolley car in 1889. By 1902, the Union Railroad became the Rhode Island Company, and just four years late in 1906, became a part of the New Haven Railroad. Over the years, the transit system saw the rapid increase of services and passengers. In 1921, it was reorganized as United Electric Railways Company, only to be purchased in 1926 by the New England Power Company and Rhode Island Service Company. Soon enough, the system was reinvented as the United Transit Company in 1951 and several years later, buses replaced the trolley system. In 1964, the Rhode Island General Assembly created the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Services began in July of 1966, ending the privatization of transit system in Rhode Island.