Today's Headlines

Domo Arigato, Thursday’s Headlines

Many of the headlines are about Mr. Roboto driving taxis.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on September 24, 2026

Photo: Clement Proust

Waymo is partnering with Visa to reimburse customers’ transit fares (The Verge), which David Zipper and Jeff Wood both view as a mere PR move after rideshares’ long history of bait-and-switches involving being a last-mile partner for transit agencies.
Speaking of autonomous vehicles, the Eno Center for Transportation has a lot of technical information about where regulations are headed, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Nashville residents have seen a lot of unusual behavior from AVs since Waymos hit town. The question of who’s liable for a crash will likely result in a lot more lawsuit settlements, because gathering data from robotaxis will be expensive, and companies will want to avoid discovery, according to the Vanderbilt School of Law.
These are not problems confined to just a few cities, as Uber plans to invest $10 billion in robotaxis over the next few years. (Axios)
Cops are clearly not taking their Flock responsibilities seriously. (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
A circular firing squad in the train community has erupted after someone launched a first strike against our common enemy, the running dog airlines. (Newsweek)
The Atlanta city council voted unanimously for a resolution in support of transit along the Beltline. But when it actually comes time to fund the $3.5 billion project, will ambivalent Mayor Andre Dickens go along? (Urbanize Atlanta)
The Charlotte city council reversed course and granted its support for adding toll lanes to I-77. (Q City Metro)
The Texas DOT is building more roundabouts in San Antonio. (Report)
Vision Zero remains a priority for Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson even as she submitted a budget with $50 million worth of cuts. (My Northwest)
Lincoln broke ground on a new downtown transit hub — on top of a parking lot, no less. (Journal-Star)
Grow Omaha explains how transit-oriented development will benefit the city as its streetcar comes to fruition.
Ann Arbor bike and pedestrian advocates are demanding safer streets. (MLive)
To raise awareness for transit, two Atlanta college students broke a Guinness record for fastest time visiting all of a city’s transit stations. (AJC)