public transportation

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The Hyperloop 'Dream' Is Officially Over
A 'Dream Too Impossible for
This World' Is Now Dead
in case you missed it
Dec 24, 2023 10:35 AM CST

A 'Dream Too Impossible for This World' Is Now Dead

Hyperloop One, the futuristic mass-transit firm promising speedy travel, is shuttering

(Newser) - The Hyperloop dream is no more—at least for now. Sources tell Bloomberg that Hyperloop One, the once much-ballyhooed startup building high-speed freight trains, is shuttering and will spend its final days trying to sell its assets, including a small test track in Nevada. Most of the company's workers...

LA, Get Ready for a Gnarly Commute
LA's Gnarly Commute
Just Got Worse
Nov 13, 2023 7:26 AM CST

LA's Gnarly Commute Just Got Worse

Fire causes damage to Los Angeles interstate, drivers are urged to take mass transit on Monday

(Newser) - Los Angeles motorists should expect traffic snarls during the Monday commute as crews assess how much damage was caused by a raging fire over the weekend that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown, officials said. Hazardous materials teams were clearing burned material from underneath Interstate 10 to make way...

Privately Owned Rail Line Begins Key Test in Florida

Brightline launching high-speed service between Miami and Orlando

(Newser) - The first big test of whether a privately owned high-speed passenger train service can prosper in the United States will launch Friday when Florida's Brightline begins running trains between Miami and Orlando that reach speeds of 125mph. It's a $5 billion bet that Brightline's owner, Fortress Investment...

Bus Rides Will Soon be Free in This Major City

All bus fares in DC will be waived starting this summer

(Newser) - The COVID-19 pandemic proved to the District of Columbia and other major cities that public transit was a lifeline for essential workers and that even modest fares could be a burden to them, per the AP . So the nation’s capital is introducing a groundbreaking plan: It will begin offering...

Here Are the 10 Best, Worst US Cities to Be Car-Less

You don't need wheels to get around San Francisco, per LawnStarter

(Newser) - In some places, not having a car could adversely affect everything from employment opportunities to how you spend your downtime. LawnStarter wanted to see where a vehicle isn't as necessary for your daily routine, so it looked at the 200 largest cities in the US to measure their standings...

Mask Mandate for Public Travel Just Got Ditched

Federal judge voids rule, says health officials overstepped authority

(Newser) - A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of US health officials even in the coronavirus pandemic, per the AP . The decision Monday by US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President...

Flyers, Riders of Trains, Buses Can't Take Masks Off Yet

CDC extends mandate until April 18 as it examines policies

(Newser) - The CDC is developing guidance that will ease the nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses, and other mass transit next month, but the existing face-covering requirement will be extended through April 18, per the AP . The requirement, which is enforced by the Transportation Security Administration, had been set to expire...

Next Week on Public Transit, a New Mandate on Face Masks

Starting Monday, face coverings will be required on any public transportation in US, per CDC

(Newser) - The CDC is hoping everyone gets on board with its newest coronavirus order, going into effect next week. Starting Monday at 11:59pm, anyone riding public transit in the US—including buses, trains and subways, planes, taxis, boats, and even Ubers or Lyfts—will be required to wear an appropriate...

Why Our Public Transit Sucks
Why Our Public Transit
Is Such a Nightmare
opinion
Mar 14, 2020 1:45 PM CDT

Why Our Public Transit Is Such a Nightmare

Aaron Gordon weighs in at Vice

(Newser) - "American cities are facing a transportation crisis." That's how Aaron Gordon kicks off a lengthy Vice article about America's half-hearted commitment to public transit. Gordon argues that the US lags far behind Europe's tram and metro lines, and China's high-speed rail lines, which makes...

Mother Dies in 'Heartbreaking' NYC Subway Fall

She was carrying baby, stroller down stairs

(Newser) - A young mother from Connecticut who went to New York City for a shopping trip died in what the Metropolitan Transportation Authority calls an "absolutely heartbreaking incident." Malaysia Goodson, 22, fell down the stairs of the 7th Avenue subway station while carrying her 1-year-old daughter, a stroller, and...

This Country Is Making All Public Transit Free

Luxembourg will stop charging next year

(Newser) - If Luxembourg's newly elected government keeps its campaign promises, residents will be able to use public transportation for free, spend the money saved on legal cannabis, and smoke it on two new public holidays. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has promised to make public transit a priority and to lift...

One US City Will Now Scan Its Subway Commuters

Devices in LA Metro will 'quickly and unobtrusively screen individuals for concealed threats'

(Newser) - All humans emit body waves, but if they're concealing an object under their clothes, that object blocks the waves—exactly what the Transportation Security Administration is banking on with the installation of the country's first body scanners in a transit agency. The subway system getting the first crack...

This City Boasts the Best Public Transportation

Not hard to get around town in Boston

(Newser) - Getting around town is made easier if your city has a decent mass-transit system, and it can offer many benefits compared with hopping behind the wheel yourself, including extra exercise, better accessibility to prime job locations, and affordability. Boston is the best US city on the public transportation front, per...

Is Google Trying to Replace City Buses With Uber?

Sidewalk Labs wants to change parking and transportation in US cities

(Newser) - Is Google trying to destroy America's public transportation system? It's possible, reports the Guardian , which obtained documents from Sidewalk Labs, a Google spinoff and "secretive subsidiary" of Alphabet. Columbus, Ohio, beat out more than 70 other cities for a chance to work with Sidewalk Labs and its...

SF Commuters Get WiFi, Coffee, Pressed Juices —on the Bus

Leap luxury service features app that tracks available seats

(Newser) - WiFi. USB plugs. Bluetooth check-in. Pressed juices and Blue Bottle Coffee. A hipster café? Nope, it's just a commute to work for riders of San Francisco's new Leap bus, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. An app keeps riders updated as to where the bus is and how...

Chicago to Swab 'L' Riders for Explosives

Passengers to be randomly selected by police

(Newser) - Chicago police will screen the bags of passengers getting on the city's CTA trains in what the department calls a "proactive, protective measure," the Chicago Tribune reports. "We know that surface transportation has been targeted in other places in the past"—places like Madrid and...

US Spent $11B Spinning Wheels on High-Speed Rail

Obama's 2011 promise was 'unadulterated hype,' critics say

(Newser) - Since 2009, $11 billion has gone toward speeding up passenger trains in the US, yet there's little to show for it, the New York Times reports. Though the Obama administration isn't wholly to blame—GOP opposition, community protests, and lawsuits have also ridden the brakes—an expert says...

Obama Intervenes to End Philadelphia Transit Strike

Workers back as of this morning

(Newser) - Commuter rail service in the Philadelphia area was restored early today, just hours after workers returned to their jobs following a brief strike that was ended when President Barack Obama intervened, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officials said. SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams says all workers scheduled for morning shifts today showed...

Philly Transit Strike May Mean Rush-Hour Misery

More than a dozen lines are idled in contract impasse

(Newser) - About 400 workers at a Philadelphia-area regional rail system went on strike this morning, shutting down 13 train lines that carry commuters to the suburbs and Philadelphia International Airport. The strike began after negotiations between the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and two unions failed to reach a new contract deal....

Uber Could Finally Help Us Ditch Our Cars

Farhad Manjoo on the ride-sharing service's significance

(Newser) - After its latest round of funding, ride-sharing service Uber has been valued at $17 billion . That's certainly gotten plenty of pens wagging, with some arguing that rather than being the world's most valuable tech start-up, Uber is problem-dogged, the scourge of cabbies , and insignificant. In Farhad Manjoo's...

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