Transportation

The rapid expansion of food delivery services — coupled with e-bikes — is forcing cities to adopt new ideas and policies to get more couriers out of their gas vehicles and onto bikes.

The Transit Joint Powers Authority of Merced County unveiled this week that five zero-emission buses have been integrated into the local transit fleet. The new buses have a range of about 250 miles between charges.

New federal funding meant to update transportation infrastructure for more modern forms of mobility while also addressing heightened equity concerns seems to be holding fast to the status quo.

On Thursday, the airport hosted Florida’s first test flight of an electric vertical takeoff and landing plane, more commonly known as eVTOLs or electric air taxis, also marking the first at a major U.S. airport.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and other local officials unveiled four all-new electric battery-powered buses that were recently added to the public transit fleet.

Stopping to pay a toll will soon be a thing of the past on the Atlantic City Expressway in Egg Harbor. Officials recently kicked off construction of the first all-electronic toll collection system.

Autonomous shuttles serving the University of North Carolina in Charlotte navigate six stops along a 2.2-mile route, establishing the small, self-driving boxy vehicles as a new form of campus transportation.

The MassHire board identified transportation as the No. 1 barrier to employment in its region, and the pilot provides low-cost, point-to-point, microtransit options to employees at a $2-per-ride price.

The electric train, funded partially by the Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection and built by Innovative Rail Technologies, was converted from a used diesel model built in the 1960s.

The decision to temporarily cease operations in Dallas came just two days after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked its license, saying the cars posed “an unreasonable risk to public safety.”

Cargo bikes are quickly becoming the next innovation in the logistics industry. As such, cities and the private sector will need to work together to create new rules and the right infrastructure.

Robots and drones are entering the delivery space, pairing the package with the right-size vehicle. But these new options will likely come at the expense of gig workers, who rely on cars to make their deliveries.

This connected-vehicle plan would create a system that could broadcast safety alerts to drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists with equipment to also receive the messages.

Cruise says it is pausing its entire driverless operations after California regulators suspended the autonomous vehicle company earlier this week from commercially deploying its robotaxis.

The city of Oakland and East Bay Community Energy will soon launch programs to stand up e-bike lending libraries, as well as cash incentive programs to help residents purchase an electric bike.

Speakers at the recent Micromobility America conference in the Bay Area issued a resounding call for aggressive and continued investment in the sector — particularly from public sources.

Elected Officials to Protect America held a press event last month to call attention to the urgency of addressing climate change and other concerns which could be mitigated with the speedier adoption of electric vehicles.

A Japanese startup aims to take passengers 15.5 miles above sea level in an airtight capsule fixed to a helium balloon that offers a space tourism-like experience without the same price tag of firms like Virgin Galactic.