Our son flies for Southwest and we want to go from Providence airport to Boston. How is the best way to to this?
Thanks in advace.

A private bus company called Bonanza Bus runs that route.

I assume this doesn't include rental car?

For public transport, he needs to get from Providence Airport (PVD) to downtown Providence, and then take either the MBTA commuter trains (Mon-Fri only) or Amtrak to Boston.

From PVD to downtown, there's a shuttle for $9. Taxi is about $20, if I remember correctly. Or take the public bus ($1.50). www.ripta.com

Commuter train from Providence to Boston is $6. Infrequent service after morning rush, and no services on weekends. www.mbta.com. Providence is on the Attleboro line. Amtrak is $13. amtrak.com

Or he can take the Bonanza bus from Providence downtown (Kennedy Plaza). $13.95. Once a hour. www.bonanzabus.com

Providence airport, known to us locals as T.F. Green airport (actually in Warwick, RI) is about 50 to 60 miles away from Boston. It's very easy to get to Boston from there, but it depends on the time of day with the traffic. Basically you take 95 north heading towards Boston, and you hang in the right lane about 40 miles into the ride. You will see signs for route 93 heading into Boston. Once you get onto 93, it's anyone's guess as to how long it will take, because there is sometimes alot of traffic. I've made it from Providence to Fenway in as little as 45 minutes driving at decent speed, but with traffic, it has taken me 2 hours. The most traffic is usually in Boston. Providence and route 95 gets congested , but never really anything to worry about. I would say the most traffic will be when there is a Red Sox or Celtics game after 4 o'clock, or anytime before 9am, but if you went at noon time or after 7 o'clock, you should be fine. Providence is a hotbed for great food. You will find no food better anywhere, so if you have time, check out Federal Hill and any one of their restauraunts.

If he's driving, traffic through Providence can be rather bad during rush hour. What one can do is get on I-95 north from airport, then take first exit, Rte 37 West, to I-295N. It rejoins I-95 after getting into Massachusettes. A few more miles, but usually little traffic.

Take the Bonanza bus route, it leaves right from TF Green Airport every hour. You don't need to go downtown first to get this bus. I don't know the cost of a one way but a R/T is usually under 20 bucks and you can get the tickets from the driver. You save on buying a roundtrip and get your return tickets at the same time, IF you plan on coming back the same way. As you exit the airport from the baggage claim, walk outside to the 2nd curbside area and turn left. Walk down to the end of the overhead awning and you'll see a bus stop sign. Wait there for the bus to come. It's the first stop on the route to Boston. It usually takes about 45 min and stops in Downtown & the PVD bus terminal before heading to South Station in Boston. Bonanza is owned by Peter Pan now so you may want to check the website for times/prices but I doubt anything has changed. It's a nice bus ride, buses are nice too.

Thank you all for your wonderful help. Actually, we will be traveling to Boston to go to Europe, so we don't want to rent a car. What a great help this site is!

A couple of questions on the Bonanza route. Does anyone know if they still stop at PVD? There is no such stop listed on their website, so I'm assuming not. Their main terminal is 2 miles north of downtown, but it does appear they stop at Kennedy Plaza downtown. Can I buy tickets there (Kennedy Plaza) or on the bus or will I need to order in advance.