Tuesday’s Headlines Jump the Turnstiles

Transit agencies are checking fares and even fortifying entrances as they seek to alleviate fears of crime.

By Blake Aued

1:31 AM EDT on October 15, 2024

New York City transit police.

|Mark A. Hermann/MTA

Transit agencies are cracking down on fare evaders in an effort to bring back riders who, since the pandemic, have stayed away from transit due to the perception it's dangerous. (Associated Press)
Challenges with range, terrain, climate and funding are making it hard for rural local governments to electrify their fleets. (Route Fifty)
A bill by two Pennsylvania congressmen would let Amtrak sue freight rail companies for interfering with passenger rail service. (Trains)
Unless Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate agree to bail out SEPTA, the Philadelphia transit agency will have to raise fares by 30 percent and cut service by 20 percent. But if they get the funding, transit officials have plans to attract more riders. (Billy Penn)
In the year before Los Angeles promised to eliminate traffic deaths, the city is on pace to set a record high instead. (Biking in LA)
Memphis Mayor Paul Young replaced the entire Memphis Area Transit Authority board amid budget shortfalls and service cutbacks. (Commercial Appeal)
Almost 10 years after Atlanta released a plan for a 50-mile network of streetcars, not a single foot has been built. Is it time for a new transit plan? (Rough Draft Atlanta)
Fewer than 6,000 people have taken advantage of an Allegheny County program offering half-price transit passes to low-income riders. (Pittsburgh Union Progress)
Omaha's mayor accused a Nebraska state senator who may run for mayor of trying to scuttle the Omaha streetcar for political gain. (Nebraska Examiner)
Bike lanes are relatively new in Oklahoma City, and transportation officials are still figuring out what works. (Free Press)
Richmond is starting work on three downtown bike lanes later this month. (WTVR)
"Marge Vs. the Monorail" still ranks as one of the funniest "Simpsons" episodes. (Collider)