2020 Election

Thursday’s Headlines from Across the Country

Lots of transit news, plus some politics, in today's daily news digest.

By Blake Aued

12:27 AM EDT on October 1, 2020

Unless Congress provides funding, more than 3 million households and 1.4 million workplaces will lose access to transit as agencies make cuts. (Streetsblog)
People who walk, bike or take transit to work are more satisfied with their commutes than those who drive. (Mobility Lab)
The system, not the backup driver, is responsible for the death of an Arizona woman killed by a self-driving Uber in 2018, writes former Streetsblog editor Angie Schmitt. (Next City)
The Kinder Institute suggests that a rebate program for e-bikes would give people incentive to buy a vehicle that doesn’t run on fossil fuels — especially those who can’t afford an electric car.
President Trump took credit for an Obama-era incentive to buy electric vehicles at Tuesday’s presidential debate. (Electrek)
Uber and Lyft are stocked with former Obama administration officials lobbying for regressive labor and environmental policies. Would a President Biden embrace them? (New Republic)
The National Association of City Transportation Officials suggests repurposing streets as outdoor voting booths. (Government Tech)
Passenger rail company Brightline is selling $3.2 billion in bonds to finance the first leg of a line between Las Vegas and California. (Las Vegas Sun)
The Seattle City Council approved a new pay formula that will ensure Uber and Lyft drivers make the city minimum wage of $16.39 an hour after expenses. (Seattle Times)
A pilot program will bring a fleet of shared electric vehicles to Minneapolis and St. Paul. (MinnPost)
Charlotte opened new bus-only lanes on one of its most congested streets. (WCNC)
Aided by investment in 5G wireless internet, China is about to unleash fleets of self-driving taxis in congested cities. (Fast Company)
And, finally, a man has biked across the country from Poo Poo Point to Pee Pee Creek. (Yosef Kessler via Twitter)

Blake Aued

Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.

2020 Election

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog USA

autonomous vehicles

Are U.S. Cities Ready for the Robo-Taxi Revolution?

And how can they get ready to regulate the shared AV revolution?

Streetsblog

April 28, 2026

Today's Headlines

Tuesday’s Headlines Pay for Roads Whether We Use Them or Not

Over half of road funding does not come directly from road users, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Blake Aued

April 28, 2026

Car Dependence

Urban Truth Collective: The One-Hour City Conspiracy

Here's the real conspiracy: Too many people are forced into car-dependent lives, with more health harms, more crashes, more noise, more air pollution, more social isolation — and less space for everything good our streets should be giving us.