Dorinda Bailey walks a mile to catch the 60 RIPTA bus from her Warren home almost every day.

It’s not actually her closest Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus stop, but the one that is nearer serves routes that aren’t regular enough to be useful for Bailey.

Bailey, 60, a certified nurse assistant, works in Newport and Providence and relies on the bus to get her to and from work, appointments, and the grocery store.

Even before service cuts went into effect at the end of September, Bailey said the bus wasn’t the most convenient option. But without a car, she has no other choice.

“Oh, God,” she said, exasperated, thinking about public transit in Rhode Island.

RIPTA reduced frequency on the 60 line, which travels between Providence and Newport, during off-peak hours. That means at night it only comes every 60 minutes, instead of every half-hour.

With the schedule changes, riders have also reported reduced quality for RIPTA service across the board.

Bailey said she sees passengers packed like sardines, not willing to get up for older adults or riders with disabilities; buses passing by people waiting at stops; and drivers in such a rush to make up time, riders don’t even have time to sit down before the bus gets moving again. She recently saw someone swinging “like a pole dancer” trying to hold on while the bus took off.

“Sometimes the bus doesn’t show up,” she added, and “the next bus is an hour later.”

After RIPTA announced it was considering cuts to fill in a multimillion-dollar budget gap, Bailey attended a public hearing about the proposal at the Barrington Library. She said it was sparsely attended — and elected leaders didn’t listen anyway.

Bailey said she thinks there isn’t more support for transit riders because of the stigma around having to take the bus, but she said a range of people, including residents like her, are just trying to work for a living and rely on the service to survive.

Bailey has emailed Gov. Dan McKee and her local representatives but feels fed up. “I’m PO-ed,” she said several times during her conversation with ecoRI News.

“Right now the bus is driving me insane,” she said. She’s losing her job at the end of the year and has to move because her building was sold and her landlord plans on raising the rent. The trouble with the bus has just added one more obstacle for her to overcome.

“It sucks all around,” she said.

She’s on the waitlist for a 55+ residence in Portsmouth, but construction has delayed the opening. If she gets in there, a bus stop will be right outside.

She’s been told she could get housing in Woonsocket, but the lack of transit options there would make it difficult for her to get around.

“I hope 2026 is better,” she said. “I’m just so tired, and I’m only 60.”

Because of her age and income, Bailey said she feels like she falls through the cracks. She makes too much money to qualify for most benefits but not enough to feel financially comfortable. She’s not old enough to receive certain elderly benefits but still suffers from arthritis and other wear and tear on her body that comes with age.

“I can’t retire until I’m 67,” she said. “I’m not going to last.”