Wednesday’s Headlines Welcome Our Robot Overlords

The robotaxi field is growing, but with buyouts and now possibly layoffs at the U.S. DOT, will anyone be left to regulate them?

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on July 30, 2025

Main photo: Waltarrrr, CC

Court filings indicate the Trump administration is seeking layoffs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, even after thousands of employees took buyouts earlier this month. (Politico)
Lyft is following Uber's lead by partnering with two companies to start running robotaxis (Motor Trend). They both trail Waymo in the field, but Tesla trails everyone: Its planned San Francisco robotaxis will just be regular human-driven taxis after the firm failed to get a permit from California regulators to operate autonomous vehicles (Jalopnik).
Cities should be building trams to connect regional rail to urban subways. (Works in Progress)
Make cycling safe for seniors, and they will see enormous health benefits. (Carbon Upfront)
Giving up driving will reduce your stress and anxiety, and help connect you to your neighborhood. (MinnPost)
Chicagoans can learn something from the looming transit cuts in Pennsylvania. (Tribune)
The Trump administration will unfreeze $1 billion in Biden-era infrastructure funding, according to Sen. John Fetterman. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Bike advocates say Mayor Mike Johnston's $935 million transportation package doesn't include enough funding for bike lanes. (Denverite)
Indianapolis has introduced a cost-sharing initiative for tactical urbanism projects. (Indy Mirror)
BikePGH's open streets events in Pittsburgh draw thousands of people eager to bike without danger from car traffic. (WESA)
How did San Francisco get a 37-foot-wide sidewalk? (Chronicle; paywall)
A Houston crew doing road work found original brick paving and streetcar lines buried under the asphalt, which some commenters want to bring back to the surface. (Chron)