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
- 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)
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 Video: Inside the Global Far-Right Push To Rip Out Bike Lanes
Toronto might be in the center of the fight to resist bike lane teardown today. But if some far-right politicians have their way, this fight won't be the last.
October 23, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Shoot Themselves in the Foot
Gas taxes pay for transit, too, so what happens when politicians pander to voters, and the highway trust fund runs dry?
October 23, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: A More Humanized Experience in Honolulu
If we look transit just as a distance issue, but as a time issue, performance should be discussed as one big whole.
October 22, 2026
Our Best Bet To Confront Climate Change in the Trump Era? Build More Apartments
Most climate strategies are hamstrung by Washington and culture wars across the country. But zoning reform may be the exception.
October 22, 2026
What ‘Flying Cars’ Could Mean For US Car Culture
Would fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?
October 22, 2026
