Transportation

The San Francisco-based company will partner with autonomous driving tech firm May Mobility next year to field a fleet of Toyota Sienna minivans that will be accessible through its app. Precise details and timing are not yet clear, but initial deployments will use human “safety operators,” transitioning over time to fully autonomous operations.

Transit pilot projects in Los Angeles and Chicago are deploying camera technology to identify vehicles blocking bus lanes and issue citations. The programs are designed to make the services more efficient.

The company will field test its fully autonomous drone delivery service in the city, which it has designated an “innovation hub.” City Council members have approved new zoning laws, affording some control over drone activity.

Owners of vehicles parked in bike and bus lanes downtown can now receive warnings and, soon, tickets in the mail, as a delayed program to test automated ticketing for the parking infractions has begun.

Transportation systems around the country will be fare-free on Election Day, removing a potential barrier to voting. One company has also done a vehicle wrap to encourage the more tech-savvy to register.

Gas-powered vehicles account for nearly half the greenhouse gas emissions in the city. Its goal is for 40 percent of passenger and light-duty vehicles registered in Orleans Parish to be battery-operated by 2035.

As Michigan invests in thermal cameras to reduce bus collisions, a Government Technology analysis reveals the extent to which low light and adverse weather may contribute to these incidents.

Guided by a consultant, the state group has opted to plan for putting an extra 15,000 Mainers in electric vehicles by the end of the decade to meet emissions reductions targets. Green hydrogen, members decided, is not likely to be commercially viable as soon as had been hoped.

In an initiative piloted last year and made permanent in June, the New York Police Department uses drones after school to track four aboveground subway lines and alert officers if a person is spotted. Six people have died this year trying to ride on the outside of trains.

The funding includes nearly $7 million for the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, which already has a hybrid-electric bus up and running. There’s also around $15 million for energy-efficient upgrades to school district HVAC systems.

The city has made more than 50 electric bicycles and scooters available for residents to rent, on a trial basis. The program, which runs through December 2025, will test whether the initiative makes sense long term.

The company, recognized by the federal government for intersection safety tools, has brought in capital from the venture arms of two big telecommunications firms. The money will help Derq further expand in North America, the CEO says.

Traffic signal priority tech along with dedicated bus lanes is speeding up travel times, making them competitive with personal cars. It’s not a silver bullet, a transit priority director said, but “is a critical component of our program.”

The city of Sugar Land announced earlier this month that it had entered into an agreement with Swyft Cities to study the possibility of bringing an autonomous elevated transport system to its skies.

The Department of Public Safety is asking the Texas Legislature to invest $22 million in a system that would allow roughly 40 percent of Texans needing routine services to make a virtual appointment.

The Dallas City Council on Wednesday approved paying a consultant firm nearly $567,000 to analyze the economic impact that high-speed rail lines to Houston and Fort Worth could have on the region.

Durham Public Schools, which serves the city and county of Durham, will receive 38 electric buses as a result of a new $15 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The vehicles arrive as the district is in urgent need of full-time drivers.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will pilot artificial intelligence-powered scanners at Union Station next month, to try to stop passengers from bringing weapons onboard its trains. The 30-day pilot will scrutinize its A and B subway lines.