Transportation

With billions on the way to build out modern transportation systems, officials are working to engage disadvantaged communities in the planning and development processes.

Missouri lawmakers took an important step toward safer streets and highways by passing the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law, finally making it illegal to hold or support a phone while operating an automobile.

Stack AV this week announced the launch of its autonomous trucking business in the city. The company leverages self-driving technology to improve efficiency and enhance safety in the trucking industry.

California has been quietly testing out a mobile driver's license that could help speed travelers through airport security and also help protect users' privacy when asked to verify their age for purchases.

Mountain Metropolitan Transit in Colorado Springs has upgraded its ticketing technology using a fare-payments-as-a-service platform, in a move to make riding transit easier and possibly cheaper for riders.

Public policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gases and other pollutants is pulling heavy-duty trucking forward in states across the West, as a 100-year-old industry evolves away from heavily polluting vehicles.

The city of Philadelphia has launched a two-year pilot project that makes free transit passes available to its more than 20,000 employees. The program promises a wealth of data and a lifeline to public transit.

Santa Cruz Metro is expected to finalize the purchase of 57 hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses in a matter of weeks and it will be the single largest purchase for that variety of zero-emission vehicle in the nation.

Proterra Inc., the South Carolina-based maker of all-electric transit buses, has filed for bankruptcy, leaving city transit agencies to wonder if their plans to introduce electric fleets will have to wait even longer.

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator has taken the lead on a new city challenge to advance zero-emission delivery zones. The cities selected for the cohort will have access to resources and materials as they work to reshape urban deliveries.

E-bikes and other small electric vehicles are no longer allowed on residential property at Yale University, as administrators deemed that storing or charging them in populated areas poses a severe fire and safety hazard.

The latest piece of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the California capital represents a partnership among Sacramento Regional Transit, Giddy Up EV Charging and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

Jefferson County school officials say there were “implementation issues” with software used to determine solutions for a major bus driver shortage. Classes were canceled for more than a week after the first day of school.

This week, the company began initial testing and data collection in Raleigh. The company is looking to expand its robotaxi service beyond San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin, where it began offering rides to passengers last year.

The project’s study has finished its first phase and is now in its second, focused on examining potential social and environmental effects along the possible route, according to a news release from officials.

About 157 million trips were taken with micromobility devices in 2022, mirroring the level of ridership in 2019. The increase seems to indicate a full recovery from the steep pandemic downturn.

AV companies work to serve their bottom line, and so it will take regulation and government oversight to ensure the autonomous vehicle revolution really does improve life in cities rather than create new problems.

The new registration fee is meant to make up for the state’s lost revenue from gasoline taxes that are used to pay for road construction and maintenance.