Introduction Ribosome binding protein 1 (RRBP1) is reported to be correlated with tumor formation and progression. However, the role of RRBP1 in bladder cancer is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of RRBP1 and its influence on cell proliferation in bladder cancer. Methods Quantification real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect the expression levels of RRBP1 in 138 bladder cancer and matched adjacent normal bladder tissues. Then, the clinical significance of RRBP1 in bladder cancer was evaluated. The effect of RRBP1 on cell proliferation and its potential mechanism were further explored. Results Results show that the mRNA levels of RRBP1 in bladder cancer were significantly higher compared with those in normal tissues ( P < 0.001). IHC results show the high-expression rate of RRBP1 in bladder cancer was 68.8%, which was significantly greater than those in normal tissues (40.6%, P < 0.001). RRBP1 high-expression was significantly associated with differentiation, T stage and lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer ( P < 0.05). The overall survival time of patients with RRBP1 high-expression was significantly reduced compared to those with RRBP1 low-expression. Moreover, RRBP1 overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation, which was correlated with Smad1/Smad3/TGF-β1 signal pathway. Conclusion RRBP1 high-expression correlates with prognosis and promotes cell proliferation in bladder cancer, which could be a potential biomarker.