When I was a teenager I would frequent this place because I took the city bus occasionally. It's 2.5-acres, rectangular, and located right in downtown Providence. It is surrounded by Union Station, City Hall, Federal Building, Burnside Park, and various other buildings. There are some public art in Kennedy Plaza; Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument creates in 1871 and The Hiker created in 1911, to name a couple. This location has quite the history. It was named after President John F. Kennedy. President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator John F. Kennedy, gave speeches there, to name a couple of famous people. In modern day, it was rehabilitated in 2014. It's a transportation mecca, the city buses travel throughout the state. The famous food truck, Haven Bros. is parked nearby if you're hungry. I gave it 2 stars because it's not clean, has plenty of sketchy characters, and I definitely don't feel safe at night there. read more

See all

This main square in downtown Providence is the hub for the RIPTA buses. You can pretty much get to anywhere in Rhode Island from Kennedy Plaza. Stops all the way from A all the way to Z dot the area around and you can also find bus ticket machines. It used to be a nice clean center of town with banks, restaurants, benches, government buildings and businesses, but in the past several years, it had gone down hill. It's usually dirty and full of trash everywhere. It's kind of scary when you see homeless and drug junkies around looking at you as you walk around or past this area. Just have to be aware of your surroundings. Back in August 2017, the city announced plans to transform Kennedy Plaza from its traditional role as a transportation hub into a public space which would serve as a "true civic heart" of the city, along the lines of New York's Bryant Park. The plans include new traffic patterns, fewer bus stops, and new buildings with food service and bathrooms. Kennedy Plaza will remain retain bus stops, but much of the bus traffic will be dispersed towards the Jewelry District. The $17-million project is still under discussion. The plan was criticized for its expected effects on municipal transport. In March 2021, City Hall and city planners announced an expanded $140 million plan, spread out over multiple phases over several years. The newest version of the plan includes relocating the ice rink and expanding use into the summer as a splash park wading pool. I hope these plans come to fruition, because Kennedy Plaza is full of homeless people that drag the image of the city, especially to the thousands of tourists who come to enjoy themselves and spend some money. read more

See all

Kennedy Plaza is Providence's main terminal for municipal buses. As such, there is an interesting spectrum of humanity passing through here. It was formerly Exchange Place but was renamed in 1964. Outdoors, uncovered and "al fresco" sounds great at the end of May when I was here, but in Rhode Island's winter would be absolutely miserable. The plaza is filled with people and surrounded by buildings on three sides and Burnside Park on the fourth. A federal court, the Superman Building https://www.yelp.com/biz/industrial-national-bank-building-providence?hrid=vCKblwfq41-cxcHOIEKNwQ and City Hall. The central structure in the plaza has a Providence police department substation. I think that's a great idea. Like I said, a spectrum of humanity. Including a woman with a personal megaphone doing her best to save souls and redeem sinners. Sigh. [Review 15270 overall, 772 of 2021, number 36 in Rhode Island.] read more

Kennedy Plaza - Buses Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

I was amazed when I stumbled upon Kennedy Plaza. This is a place like no other. Everyone is friendly and very respectful. Everything is clean and the smell of the air is very crisp and fresh. There are many folks here truly show their love for Kennedy Plaza by sitting on the bench talking to their beloved friends with an astonishing vocabulary. The restrooms are very clean and the customer service here is top of the line. My favorite part about Kennedy Plaza are the street performers. They will dance, sing, and have tons of other cool talents. 2 very polite gentlemen asked me to borrow $100 at the local 7Eleven down the street and it was my pleasure to assist them. I'm sure they will return the money soon. My experience here was amazing. 100% recommend to anyone! read more

I'm sad to say that Kennedy Plaza is actually Scaryville. It's totally a shame, as it's quite lovely and, seeing as it's abutted by a beautiful park and one of the most charming streets in Providence, quite the loss. You see, Kennedy Plaza is in all seriousness the place you should not go at night. It's scary and dangerous. There are even strong men in uniforms stationed there in case you need to be there for some reason. They're there to protect you! Busses run in and out of Kennedy Plaza, so if you're there during the day for a quick transfer or to walk a few blocks, then you're fine. This just isn't the place you want to set up in for a picnic or wait to meet up with friends. There are people there who are dangerous or less than savory - you catch my drift. The architecture surrounding the plaza is quite gorgeous - some of the most iconic in the city, actually and really impressive and it should be seen if you're visiting the city. Just don't hang around here after dark or by yourself. read more

See all

Kennedy Plaza can be crazy at times. There are obviously people there waiting for busses an any given time. The problem is the people who are there all day everyday. It evenly divides in three. 1/3 are homeless and begging for change. 1/3 are trying to sell you sneakers/jewelry/drugs etc. The last 3rd won't approach you but you see them acting shady.. There's one thing I must add. Keep your wallet or any other valuable items on you. I had my wallet taken from my backpack once. I didn't notice till I arrived at work. Luckily, it was only a half hour later. Whoever took it had already spent almost $200 by then. It isn't something I hold against Kennedy Plaza because they can't control who's there. It's just a warning. read more

It really saddens me to read the comments in some of the previous reviews. This place is not scary/sketchy, nor are the people who frequent here. You're just simply seeing some of the working poor and low/no income people who live in Rhode Island. Poor people and homeless folks are allowed to exist. As far as the actual bus station goes... When they redesigned the place, for some reason they made the benches pretty high up and I can now swing my legs with out touching the ground when I sit. They also made the roofs on the enclaves clear so they won't help with shield you from the hot sun in the summer. I take the 60 to Newport and it runs pretty regularly (every 15 min.) during peak hours. Try to be there a few minutes early because some of the drivers seem to have watches that run fast. read more

Kennedy Plaza to me is not a comfortable place to be. I have be here every morning to go to work and afternoon to go home. i don't like how there are so many people who are on some sort of drug are out and about waiting around the city. i feel as though it creates a bad image to downtown. i dont enjoy men gawking at me at every single moment. the police staff that patrol the area have always seemed nice. unfortunately the small park constantly smells like urine and you always seem to spot mice - too bad, the water fountain is so pretty :\ the one thing i do enjoy about kennedy plaza: in the summer they host many fun events. one of them being the farmers market and musical outdoor events. I do think it should clean up its image some more to attract more people. read more

Moved to RI from OR a few years ago. Mostly lived in rural areas, so I'm not used to public transport areas, so I can't judge it on that, but there are some problems that just grind my gears. For starters, I don't know which idiot designed the bus shelters, but I hope they never design anything again. Who puts black metal bunches under glass shelters??? Do they think the sun doesn't exist or something. They provide no shade, insulate heat, so summer makes them horribly uncomfortable, yet provide no respite from the cold in winter. They also don't do a very good job of protecting from rain or snow, so they are honestly just useless. Then there's the fact that KP is disgusting. Rhode Island in general has an issue with litter (seriously, this whole state needs to be reintroduced to the concept of a trash can), but KP takes it to whole 'nother level. Trash everywhere. I honestly don't want to touch anything cause so much of it is so gross. This next one is a smallish thing, but jeez people need to learn about personal space. Maybe this just cause I'm from the rural West Coast, but people have no issues just getting right up next to you and it's so bothersome for people like me who have issues with being touched or being around people. Obviously, there's no avoiding the place if you have to transfer, but when they next renovate, they need to do better. And again, this state needs to stop dumping their trash wherever they feel like. It's pathetic and gross. read more

Kennedy Plaza is functional. That's about all. The improved aesthetic since reopening adds a more modern appeal to the old, decrepit KP. Unfortunately, so many of their upgrades failed to work on day one and are still out of commission. The electronic next-arrival notifications were a good idea... But they don't all work. They didn't clean it up very well after the snowstorms. People don't obey the smoking rules, which is irritating when they are smoking in an enclosed bus terminal. It still does the trick, though! read more

When you arrive to Providence Rhode Island you are like. Very nice!!!... And once you step foot in Kennedy Plaza you just loose hope for humanity. Place is really dirty. I mean the downtown of any city shouldn't be this dirty and full of homeless people. It's sad and in a way scary. This place has been crappy for the longest time. And it's right in the face of the city where you go to get the city to do things. And the Police Station is there and you still feels this unsafe feeling read more

Kennedy Plaza - When you arrive to Providence your like nice! And once you step foot in Kennedy Plaza you just loose hope for humanity. - Buses Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

I agree with other reviewers. It's a scary, uncomfortable place. A friend and I visited Providence in early October '14. We walked around down by the river walkway...which was pretty. The town itself is beyond gorgeous and interesting. We wound up in "the mall"...it was a little strange and seemed empty for the most part. Going to Providence was a last minute plan as we were staying outside of Boston & decided to drive down and check it out on the way to NewPort Beach. Anyway when we went to walk back to our car we didn't want to walk all the way back the same way. We wound up getting a little lost and walked a few blocks beyond the street we parked our car on. Yes, it was stupid to not note the street name we parked on but we didn't expect to walk so far along the walkway area. Anyway we had to walk back through what I believe was kennedy plaza/bus stop area and there were very rough looking people there. We panicked a little and I'm use to rough neighborhoods in my city, but still have always been smart and cautious. We had a guy yell out at us saying we were some "classy chicks"...we walked faster....then he said we had "big asses" and apparently not classy anymore LOL...he was very intimidating. Completely scary being from out of town and winding up there. We had a false belief that everything downtown during the day was safe. It's NOT. I wouldn't go back to that area. It really overshadowed all the good in the city unfortunately. *I grew up in a sketchy, low income neighborhood. This review is not coming from paranoia or dramatics as some other reviewers insinuate. Is all I'm saying is we felt threatened/unsafe as we walked through this area. Not being judgmental but homelessness and mental illness go hand in hand. If we had been aware of this prior we would have avoided the area. I am warning others to be careful. It was broad daylight btw. read more

I have to be really honest the bus station definitely needs an overhaul because everytime I visit the bus ticket machines seem not to work and they need to get fixed or replaced immediately. read more

The remodel of Kennedy Plaza is more aesthetically pleasing. However, RIPTA service has not improved. I recently waited more than 40 minutes for a bus that is suppose to come every 15 minutes. Anyway, some of the terminals now have digital signs saying how far away the bus is from the Plaza. Still, Kennedy Plaza doesn't feel any less shady. This is the one place in town I do not like to be alone, after dark. I am not saying low income people are, but there is a lot of drugs circulating on the Plaza. read more

Kennedy Plaza is poorly maintained and tends to be dirty. No shade often makes it a hot, uncomfortable place to wait for transit in the summer. read more

You see the same people, like 22 hours a day, 7 days a week, just hanging around there, it's unsafe, the worst people getting arrested, they even want to start fights, as they get flame headed at each other. The restrooms in the terminal need full cleaning. Just walk by these unpleasent people like you don't know who they are, try not to make eye contact with the worst people who hang around there. Well Kennedy Plaza is a bus terminal, so it's ok to connect to other bus rides, and it's a busy place as well. There is a lot of stuff going on in Kennedy Plaza during the year. read more