Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor
Sep 11, 2009

Washington D.C.’s transit system is looking at a budget deficit even if it hikes fares (GGW)

Ford gets behind Senate bill to prod states in to banning texting while driving (Det News)

Arizona officials acknowledge their state’s era of ‘roads before transit’ is over (AZ Rep)

Columbus, Ohio, helping private company bid for stimulus cash to build high-speed rail cars (Dayton DN)

The government agency that regulates transport of dangerous cargo has been co-opted by industry (AP)

Google developing its own solar power technology (Reuters)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

People are shoulder to shoulder inside a city bus while commuting at rush hour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto. Via Canadian Press/Nathan Denette

We Need a New Transit Pass For the COVID Era

By Ugo Lachapelle and Georges A. Tanguay | Sep 8, 2021

With fewer riders funding the system, agencies and governments will need to rethink public transit promotion, funding, operation and expansion.

Needed: A Federal Program to Boost Transit Service

By Ben Fried and Steven Higashide | Apr 22, 2021

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on Transit Center and is republished with permission. On March 13, 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, the Federal Transit Administration responded to the emergency by enabling transit agencies to spend federal funds to run buses and trains. It was a break with longstanding policy. Normally, federal grants are reserved […]

On the Pitfalls and Benefits of National Transit Safety Standards

By Elana Schor | Dec 15, 2009

The second hearing in three days on the Obama administration’s proposal for national transit safety rules made headlines mostly for its affect on the Washington D.C. area, where Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s (D-MD) blistering critique of the local Metro rail system prompted high-level management switches. "There’s a saying in our business," APTA President William Millar (above) […]

STREETSBLOG SF

Transit Safety Protocols in the Time of COVID

By Roger Rudick | Aug 19, 2020

Study looks at how to make trains, buses, and ferries safe... but is it forceful enough to do any good?

Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Rules to Eventually Apply to Buses

By Elana Schor | Nov 16, 2009

The Obama administration’s proposal for a new federal role in transit safety oversight would eventually apply to buses, although the first round of rules would be directed at subways and light rail, according to the U.S. DOT. Transit buses, such as this Miami model, are expected to be part of the new federal safety plan. […]

Will Private Transit Startups Help or Hurt Public Transit?

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 30, 2015

The rise of private transit operators like Bridj, Leap, and Uberpool has raised questions about equity in places including the Bay Area, where such services are fast replicating. A related issue is the impact they will have on traditional public transit systems. Private transit vehicles have been described as “like a lounge on wheels,” with […]