Free “Hop-On Hop-Off” RIPTA service. Photo provided by RIPTA

RIPTA’s free “Hop-On Hop-Off” bus service in Newport ends Saturday, and riders will have to pay full fare starting Sunday.

The promotion covered Route 67, which runs along Bellevue Avenue and serves Salve Regina University, and Route 68, which serves CCRI, Memorial Boulevard and Easton’s Beach. It was funded by Discover Newport and the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.

Full fares resume on both routes Sunday, Nov. 1.

The RIPTA customer service kiosk at the Newport Transportation Center, which opened for the promotion, also closes Saturday. The restrooms there will remain open to the public daily through Dec. 31.

Information on Newport bus service is available at 401-781-9400 or RIPTA.com/Newport.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...