Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bussin’
Intercity bus travel is back, baby! States like Virginia and Maine are adding service, and so are private operators.
By
Blake Aued
12:04 AM EST on February 19, 2025
- Intercity bus ridership is projected to grow by four percent this year, more than airline or car travel. Both private companies and state-provided bus services like Colorado’s Bustang are thriving after the industry nearly collapsed during the pandemic. (Smart Cities Dive)
- The Trump administration suspended the rollout of $5 billion in grants for electric vehicle chargers. (Politico)
- Dust from brake pads may be even more harmful than pollution from diesel tailpipes, according to a new study. (Yale 360)
- Electric vehicles may not produce tailpipe emissions, but they produce more brake and tire dust than gasoline vehicles. They produce less pollution overall, according to Virginia Tech research, but only when driven in congested city conditions.
- Truck pollution disproportionately affects the marginalized communities that live near major highways, but it’s unclear whether electrification will improve the situation, because power plants are also located near marginalized communities. (News Medical)
- Georgia legislators are considering outlawing automated speed cameras in school zones, arguing that they’re more about revenue generation than safety. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- After a years-long debate, Colorado Springs is allowing e-bikes in parks and other areas where motorized vehicles are prohibited. (Government Technology)
- The mayor of Syracuse is hosting a series of town hall meetings on Vision Zero. (Urban CNY)
- Gary’s public bikeshare is restarting in March with two new hubs. (Mass Transit)
- Climate change is making chocolate more expensive. (BBC)
- Dubai wants Elon Musk to build an underground Tesla loop in the Middle East, because I guess they saw how useless the one in Las Vegas is and decided they wanted a 68-mile version. (Jalopnik)
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