Wednesday’s Headlines Want You Back
With the pandemic winding down, how can transit agencies bring riders back on board? They have plenty of creative ideas.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on June 15, 2022
- From reducing fares to extending service hours to gift-card giveaways, transit agencies are trying anything they can think of to lure back riders after the pandemic. (Pew Stateline)
- The Washington Post interviewed Veronica Vanterpool, the newly appointed deputy director of the Federal Transit Administration, who plans to sell her car now that she’s moved from Delaware to D.C.
- A shocking 70 percent of pedestrians killed by drivers in Portland are unhoused, a problem that appears to be nationwide, although accurate figures aren’t always kept. (Streetsblog USA)
- Seattle transit ridership is climbing back up, prompted at least in part by high gas prices. (Seattle Transit Blog)
- The Massachusetts legislature passed a $350 million transportation bill that includes $30 million for complete streets and $25 million for buses. (The Center Square)
- The Charlotte Area Transit System is proposing a new route for the Silver Line it says would be cheaper and carry more riders. (WFAE)
- Arizona transit is often inaccessible for people with disabilities, and the state should use federal funds to fix that. (Republic)
- Carnage in the streets: A pickup truck driver who jumped the curb in Los Angeles injured nine people (CBS News). A speeding motorcyclist in upstate New York crashed into six people standing at the entrance to a bike path, killing two (Post-Star). And hundreds of people marched in Chicago to demand safer streets after drivers killed two toddlers (Block Club Chicago)
- Downtown Denver pedestrians say they’re being “terrorized” by e-scooters on sidewalks. (Denver Post)
- The Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson could afford any kind of car he wants, but he rides a bike to work. “I just love being on a bike,” the star shooting guard says. “It’s the best.” (NBA via Twitter)
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.
Read More:
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
Friday’s Headlines Celebrate Juneteenth
Ideas for speeding up infrastructure construction in the U.S., where it's slower and more expensive than any other nation.
June 19, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: So What Is ‘Urban Disorder’ In A Post-Covid U.S.
Open air drug bazaars in San Francisco are one thing that we can agree need to be fixed.
June 18, 2026
Driverless Cars Could Save Tens of Thousands of Lives. But We Must Treat Them Like Aviation — Not Like Cars
Commercial passenger aviation has nearly zero passenger deaths per year compared to about 40,000 roadway deaths. That's not a function of driving being inherently riskier — it is a function of what our leaders decide is "safe enough."
June 18, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Go Green, Save Green
A lack of smart planning and political willpower contributes to climate change that is costing Americans money
June 18, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Truckin’
Maybe we shouldn't rely so much on diesel to fuel buses or move so much freight by truck.
June 17, 2026
