Sharing Is Caring for Friday’s Headlines

Young adults are driving less, and that may have something to do with the rise of shared micromobility devices.

12:01 AM EDT on September 12, 2025

New York City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez actively promotes the city’s e-scooter program, which requires no license or registration.

|Photo: NYC DOT

With 500 million shared mobility trips recorded worldwide, e-scooters and bikeshares are no longer a novelty, but part of the urban landscape (Cities Today). One operator, Veo, published a study calling the trend a mode shift away from cars. About a quarter of users don't have a driver's license, and 40 percent lack access to a car (Zag Daily).
Americans are driving 2.3 percent fewer miles than they did in 2019, before driving dropped sharply during the pandemic. The trend is driven primarily by young adults. (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
As their use grows, e-scooter injuries are skyrocketing, underscoring the need for safer street designs. (Axios)
The Justice Department and Norfolk Southern settled a lawsuit giving Amtrak trains priority on freight lines. (Trains)
Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says he's introducing a bill to ban self-driving cars. (Business Insider)
Pete Saunders argues for bringing back streetcar suburbs. (The Corner Side Yard)
President Trump called for the death penalty for the man accused of murdering a woman on a Charlotte train (Fox News), a tragedy that's become a political football as the administration seeks to demonize cities in general and transit in particular.
The Federal Transit Administration is launching an investigation into the Charlotte Area Transit System's security (Queen City News) and is threatening to withhold $33 million unless CATS produces a new transit plan within two weeks (WSOC, Streetsblog USA)
A deal for California to float Bay Area transit agencies Muni and BART a $750 million loan is back on the table. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Seattle added 35,000 people but just 3,300 cars between 2017 and 2023. (The Urbanist)
At their current pace of growth, Houston, Dallas and Austin are projected to be the three biggest cities in the U.S. by 2100, so they should start preparing for higher density. (Urban Land Institute)
Lyft is bringing robotaxis to Atlanta that will, at first, be operated by human drivers. (The Verge)
Automated cameras will start ticketing speeders on Philadelphia's Broad Street next week. (Billy Penn)
A Washington, D.C. program uses street art to create safer intersections. (The Wash)