It’s not every day you get to take your U.S. Senator for coffee on the bus
But the idea of inviting community leaders on the bus actually came from Senator Whitehouse himself, which made it especially fun — and timely — to spend a couple of hours together before the holidays talking transportation. Timely because the Senator is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee currently negotiating the reauthorization of the federal Surface Transportation Funding Act, the primary way that Congress helps states pay for the roads, bridges, and transit systems people rely on every day.
Joining the coffee conversation were Scott Wolf and John Flaherty of Grow Smart RI; Christopher Coes, former Under Secretary for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (and a longtime friend of Grow Smart RI); and Angelika Pellegrino, then–Deputy Communications Director for Senator Whitehouse.
Like thousands of others, our journey started in Kennedy Plaza, just a short walk from the Senator’s Downtown office, where we met up. After exchanging well-wishes with fellow riders excited to say hello to the Senator while passing through “KP,” we boarded the #33 to Wayland Square for coffee at Madrid Bakery. The Senator was right at home on the bus, recalling when he regularly rode the #60 from Newport to his South Main Street office during his time as Attorney General (1999–2003).
He spoke about running into friends and colleagues on board, including the legendary Justice Florence K. Murray, known for her common touch. “Riding the bus needs to be re-socialized,” he said.
Over coffee, we talked about the importance of public transit to the strength and resiliency of our economy, to supporting the development of more homes near transit, and to meaningfully reducing climate pollution. And not lost on anyone is the potential for transit to be a more viable and affordable alternative to the high cost of car ownership. We also discussed efficiency reforms to the federal transportation funding act and the importance of retaining dedicated programs that improve the safety of walking and biking as a way to reduce car dependency and improve public health. We also had a chance to update him on our exciting transit-related Main Street RI initiative.
But this was his neighborhood.
Walking through Wayland Square, Senator Whitehouse shared fond memories of when he and his family lived in the neighborhood — taking the kids for walks and stopping into places like Books on the Square, where the dog was always welcome.
As we headed back toward our bus stop for the ride Downtown, the streets were bustling with holiday activity. And with an extra fifteen minutes to spare, we couldn’t resist and so we ducked into Books on the Square to enjoy some holiday shopping with the Senator in his old neighborhood.
Looking ahead, here’s to 2026 being a pivotal year for transit in Rhode Island — first to restore the deep transit service cuts made last fall due to chronic funding shortfalls, and then to begin implementing our state’s comprehensive, data-driven Vision and Master Plan for a transit system that gets more Rhode Islanders where they’re going, when they need to get there, safely, affordably and with dignity.
View more Rhodies-In-Transit HERE.
