 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Dates of operation | 1921–1951 |
| Predecessor | Rhode Island Company |
| Successor | United Transit Company, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority |
The United Electric Railways Company (UER) was the Providence-based operator of the system of interurban streetcars, trolleybuses, and trolley freight in the state of Rhode Island in the early- to mid-twentieth century.
The UER was chartered in 1919, after the previous operator of the streetcar, the Rhode Island Company, went into temporary receivership. The company was placed under the control of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission upon inception, in an effort to limit the impact to service in the event of financial difficulties.[1] UER began operations of the consolidated network in 1921, and achieved an all-time high ridership annual of 154 million people in 1923. UER was purchased by the New England Power Company in 1926, and was operated under the UER brand by the Rhode Island Service Company[2] until the system was again reorganized as the United Transit Company in 1951.
The transportation system in Rhode Island was deprivatized in 1966 when the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) began operations.
- ^ "Records of the United Transit Company and the United Electric Railways". Rhode Island Historical Society. September 1999.
- ^ "History of Transit Ridership in Rhode Island". www.ripta.com. Retrieved 2018-10-22.