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Amtrak wants $3.6 billion in subsidies. It probably won't get all of that

Mar 31, 2023
It's asking for 50% more funding than it received for the current fiscal year.
The rail service provider asked for a whopping $3.6 billion this fiscal year from Congress, which is more than it has ever gotten in its 50-plus years.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

University looks to self-driving shuttles to transport students

Dec 27, 2022
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is piloting autonomous transit with vehicles in a project that could take students to and from the historically Black university to downtown Greensboro by the fall.
Four shuttles that will transport students are just part of the NC Transportation Center of Excellence on Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Technology (NC-CAV) fleet.
Cole delCharco

D.C. could become the largest U.S. city to experiment with free transit

Dec 15, 2022
A city council measure would make it free to ride the bus within the capital's city limits. Proponents say the plan, estimated to cost $42 million annually, would boost ridership and equity.
If the measure passes,  D.C. will join cities like Albuquerque, Kansas City and Boston that have experimented with zero-fare transit during the pandemic.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Community college students without cars can face transportation challenges

Oct 21, 2022
In New England, not all campuses are accessible by public transportation.
Roxbury Community College student Kiara Rosario asks an Orange Line shuttle driver whether there’s room for her on board.
Kirk Carapezza/GBH

Public transit ridership is slow to return, despite high gas prices

Jul 13, 2022
Ridership took a nosedive in the pandemic, and remote work may be helping to keep it low. Federal aid has kept buses and trains moving.
Remote work may be helping to keep ridership sparse on buses and trains, including on the San Francisco Bay Area's BART system.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Public transit could get a boost from high gas prices

Mar 10, 2022
Bus and train ridership has dipped since the start of the pandemic. High fuel prices, spurred in part by the war in Ukraine, may change that.
With gasoline prices reaching record highs, many people are on board with public transportation.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Transit systems struggle to find enough bus drivers

Jan 4, 2022
Some drivers are retiring, others are going to work for commercial delivery services.
Higher wages from private competitors and a workforce near retirement has led to a bus driver shortage. Above, a Detroit bus driver poses for a portrait in 2020.
Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

U.N.'s urgent call for emissions cuts means fewer cars, experts say

Aug 9, 2021
Climate scientists say in the U.S., the transportation sector is the largest source of carbon emissions. Expanding public transit is key, they say.
Investments in public transit could help curb U.S. emissions. Above, a subway train arrives at a Brooklyn station in New York City in November 2020.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Public transit tries to lure riders back with reduced fares, other incentives

Jul 12, 2021
Across the country, ridership is still way below pre-pandemic levels.
Passengers at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in San Francisco. Despite the economy reopening, public transit use is still down dramatically in many metropolitan areas.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images