Thursday’s Headlines Fall in the Forest

If reduced or free fares are available but no one knows about them, do they make an impact on transportation costs?

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 2, 2025

Together for Brothers (T4B) activist Christopher Ramirez advocates for fare free transit in Albuquerque in 2023.

|Photo: Alicia Maldonado

Transit is an affordable alternative to car ownership, but a nonprofit study found that fare-free and fare reduction programs aimed at low-income riders often fail to reach eligible people. The Regional Plan Association recommends better outreach, automatic enrollment and expanding eligibility. (Smart Cities Dive)
Add microplastics to the list of dangers posed by cars. (Jalopnik)
DoorDash is rolling out a new delivery robot that, unlike others that roll down the sidewalk, will operate in streets and bike lanes, primarily in suburban neighborhoods. (Washington Post)
Uber was found not liable for their driver sexually assaulting his passenger, in the first lawsuit of its kind to go to trial in the U.S. (New York Times)
California has fully funded the central portion of its planned high-speed rail line, but now it has to figure out how to get the major population centers of San Francisco and Los Angeles. (The Urban Condition)
Can Los Angeles pull off a car-free Olympics? (L.A. Times; paywall)
A state audit found that the Charlotte Area Transit System has cut security by 40 percent. (WCNC)
BikePortland calls Oregon Democrats' recently passed transportation funding bill "anemic," as Republicans used the threat of withholding a quorum to force cuts.
Denver's Regional Transportation District is requesting $1.6 billion to finish an expansion plan voters approved 20 years ago (KDVI). RTD is also considering cutting funding for paratransit service for the disabled (Denverite).
A judge temporarily halted bike lane construction on Pittsburgh's Penn Avenue, siding with Strip District businesses. (Tribune-Review)
We're all trying to find the guy who took away signal priority for light rail trains in Houston. (Axios)
A California cop was flummoxed when a vehicle made an illegal U-turn in front of him, but he couldn't issue a ticket because it was a driverless Waymo. (The Guardian)
A YouTuber who goes by "Bearded Tesla Guy" set out to go cross-country in a Model Y on self-driving mode, but only made it 60 miles before crashing. (Vice)