Thursday’s Headlines Won Big
It was a good day for transit on Election Day Tuesday.
By
Blake Aued
12:25 AM EST on November 6, 2025
- Charlotte voters approved a transportation referendum on Tuesday to fund roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, buses and rail (WFAE). And in New York City Zohran Mamdani, who promised fare-free buses, won the mayor’s race (CBS News).
- Federal Transit Administration head Marc Molinaro wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News assailing Mamdani’s bus policy.
- Expect the nationwide shortage of bus drivers to get worse, as the Trump administration has banned people lacking permanent U.S. residency from holding commercial drivers’ licenses. (KPCW)
- A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can’t withhold transportation funding from states that don’t cooperate on enforcing immigration laws. (Politico)
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy accused Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA of being dangerous and mismanaged. (Axios)
- Waymo is expanding its robotaxi businesses into Las Vegas, San Diego and Detroit. (CNet)
- Electrifying Southern California trains would allow Metrolink to reduce travel times, increase frequency and better integrate with high-speed rail and the Brightline. (The Urban Condition)
- The Florida DOT’s removal of a Sunrunner bus-only lane may have violated state law. (Florida Politics)
- The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority installed new fare gates with contactless payment. (Urbanize Atlanta)
- Portugal and Spain have agreed to build high-speed rail between Lisbon and Madrid by 2034. (Euronews)
- Medellin’s Metrocable has helped lift the former home of Pablo Escobar’s drug cartel out of crime and poverty. (NextCity)
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
‘Our Roads Are More Than Just Highways’: Democrats Urge U.S. Senate to Fund Transit Programs
A Trump administration proposal recommends massive cuts to popular programs – and it will cost American communities more than they can afford, Senate Democrats say.
May 14, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Pump It Up
Until you can feel it (gas prices, that is). But you don't really need it (suspending gas taxes).
May 14, 2026
Study: Trump’s Transit Proposal Would Cost the Country So Many Jobs — And Not Just in Cities
... but an increase in funding would be a job-creating juggernaut.
May 13, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bought and Paid For
The Union of Concerned Scientists explains how the highway lobby keeps so many of us in our cars.
May 13, 2026
Opinion: It’s Time to Rethink Our Congestion Obsession
Policymakers constantly suggest that we need to spend billions of dollars and bulldoze countless acres of land to fix traffic jams. But do we?
May 13, 2026