Sunday, March 30, 2025

What public transit can learn from Uber and Lyft

Riders on San Francisco's Muni light rail system. David Lytle, CC BYFor all of their complaints about it, Americans care about public transit. Surveys...

Cities can jump-start climate progress by plugging in their vehicles

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, left, and Mayor Eric Garcetti pose next to an all-electric car in this 2015 photo. AP Photo/Nick...

Bob Crow: Union man

SOME people would resent being treated as the pantomime villain of London politics. Not Bob Crow, who died early this morning. The leader of...

Etiquette on public transport: Spread ’em

THERE is a reason why men tend to spread their legs as wide as they can when they ride on public transport. It’s just...

Chris Christie and the GOP: Pound foolish

CHRIS CHRISTIE'S overwhelming re-election as governor of New Jersey this week immediately got him hailed as the great hope of Republican pragmatists in the 2016 presidential elections....

A streetcar in the mire: Washington, DC’s pointless streetcar service finally opens

“LATE and over budget, streetcars are finally rumbling to life in Washington, DC. The long-awaited service, which has cost at least $135m to build,...

Subways in America: Gangway, please

IN LATE 2013, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) released a comprehensive report on its capital investment needs for the next two decades. Buried...

A muddled train of thought: Some Americans are upset at the prospect of free...

IT MAY be pantomime season, but unlike Cinderella revelers in Washington, DC, who stay out past the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve...

Sharing a lift: Carpooling uber alles

“MARK my word,” Henry Ford declared in 1940, “A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.” No...

The Economist explains: Why trams are a waste of money

STREETCARS—otherwise known as trolleys or trams—had their golden age around 100 years ago, carrying urban workers to nascent suburbs around Europe and America. But...

Latest articles

Revitalizing Mexico City’s Historic Buenavista Central Station

The current iteration of Buenavista Station debuted in the 1960s and continues to serve as a vital lifeline for thousands of commuters every day....

Shifting gears: Gender equity in transit

Gender inequities in transportation systems have often overlooked women’s travel and safety needs. From biased crash testing to undervalued non-work trips, this Women’s History...

The country’s civil engineers agree: $1.5 trillion didn’t produce good infrastructure

Despite historic levels of investment in infrastructure over the last twenty years, America’s 2025 infrastructure grades for roads, bridges, safety, and transit look mostly...

Nominate Now for the 2026 Sustainable Transport Award

Does your city or region deserve more recognition for new transport, street design, or policy improvements that increase mobility and improve quality of life...