Tuesday’s Headlines Would Rather Take the Bus Anyway

Your future job, like it or not.
Your future job, like it or not.
  • Ride-hailing apps are getting more expensive as the investor cash that subsidizes Uber and Lyft dry up, which could push some app users onto more affordable public transit. (Wall Street Journal)
  • A bill filed by progressive Democrats would tax oil companies for the windfall profits they’re reaping from record-level gas prices. (Business Insider)
  • Cars beget climate change, climate change begets less sleep, and less sleep begets more car wrecks. (The Grist)
  • The recent spike in traffic deaths could be a sign that the U.S. has reached “peak car” as urban planners deprioritize individual passenger vehicles. (Autoweek)
  • Already available technology like speed governors and alcohol ignition locks could cut traffic deaths by up to 45 percent, if the political will existed to do so. (Jalopnik)
  • “Autonomous” buses will still need skilled human operates. (Smart Cities Dive)
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom should just make transit fare-free already. (SFGate)
  • The D.C. suburb of Montgomery County, Maryland, will resume collecting transit fares in July. (Washington Post)
  • Washington, D.C. will spend $309 million to modernize 75,000 streetlights, saving energy and improving visibility. (Clean Technica)
  • Electric truck manufacturer Rivian is building a plant in Georgia. Trump-endorsed David Perdue, who’s challenging Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in today’s Republican primary, calls Rivian “a woke California company whose mission is to turn the world green.” (NBC News)
  • Carless Iowans are being left stranded by the decline of intercity buses. (The Gazette)
  • Six years after instituting a Vision Zero policy, Denver is no closer to its goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2030 (Axios). Officials are now pushing to redesign the city’s deadliest streets and intersections (Denverite).
  • Philadelphia just created its first “slow zone” with lower speed limits, fresh pavement markings and traffic-calming measures like corner bump-outs. (WHYY)
  • A Portland group called Bike Loud has city support to host car-free block parties every Sunday this summer. (Bike Portland)

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Can Ride-Hailing Apps Become More Like Buses and Less Like Taxis?

By Angie Schmitt |
A big part of reducing car traffic involves using cars more efficiently. Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft are supposedly assisting in this transition by making car ownership less necessary. But even though both companies operate carpool-type services, most of their business still comes from single passenger trips. Other ride-hailing companies are all about shared trips. Network blog Cap’n Transit has […]