Active Transportation Alliance held focus groups in February to discuss the challenges Chicagoans face regarding access to safe streets and public transportation. The input is critical as runoff elections loom and, with them, the future of the city’s traffic and transit woes.

Chicago Transit Authority’s latest All Stations Accessibility Project (ASAP) is a significant renovation for the Racine Blue Line station. Built in 1958, the station will soon have more accessible pathways, a lift and ramp, new stairs, a platform extension, and other improvements.

Chicago Transit Justice Coalition held a protest last month to call for better working conditions for transit workers. The independent group encourages solidarity, discussions, and constructive criticism to find solutions to issues caused by both the Chicago Transit Authority and transit union leadership.

Bonus Read: In 2022, contributors to the Island Press Urban Resilience Project dug into the details of the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, American Rescue Plan, and the Biden Administration’s Justice40 initiative, devising concrete plans for collective action to build a greener, fairer future. Those ideas were collected in the latest edition of Island Press’ e-book series Resilience Matters.   

The two best options for ride-sharing companies faced with formidable 2022 revenue losses? Increase costs or diversify operations. The latter is catching on, especially in the form of partnerships with public transport agencies.

The future is looking green for Dollaride, an informal transit service that connects New York City neighborhoods in a grassroots way. The startup plans to install chargers for a fleet of battery-powered vans after receiving a $10 million grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Planning Association revealed that lower-income and no-car households use ride-hailing apps for different reasons. Whether it’s filling in the gaps for last-mile mobility needs or for practical trips, study trends show the importance of equitable service for all.

Let’s do the numbers, shall we? A total of 4,800 residents in Denver became e-bike owners in 2022. Ninety percent of rebate program participants rode their bikes each week, averaging 26 miles per person. The Mile High City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is now even closer to reality.

FREE NOW’s 2023 Mobility As A Service report is out. Not only is the European mobility app seeing some major growth (a 221 percent increase for multimodal trips, hello!), but they’ve identified some key trends and secured a positive outlook for the coming year.

The Nice Ride bike share program in Minneapolis is nearly no more. The loss of their corporate sponsor means the organization that provided green bikes, scooters, and e-bikes for everyone in the Twin Cities is shutting down permanently later this year.

California’s high-speed rail project is in danger. With overall train ridership down, the reality of future service has gone from “when” to “if,” and that’s just the tip of the complicated iceberg for this latest round of forecasts.

Gas taxes could help transit agencies in trouble — but many states prohibit that revenue from being spent on public transit. California, Connecticut, New York, and Virginia could lead the way for change.

Chicago Transit Authority’s livestream of the Blue Line morning commute is causing a stir about privacy and personal safety issues. The idea was to look at platform crowding, but it’s just proving there are not enough trains. Period.

Account-based ticketing opens up the possibility for a seamless experience for riders, but the future of fare collection needs to be free of equity implications.

May Mobility and Via have been working together for the past two years to offer autonomous vehicle services around the globe. Now it’s a whole lot easier for riders in urban, suburban, and rural places to get on-demand wheelchair-accessible vehicles and other flexible mobility services.

California is dreamin’ that bullet trains will bring travelers all over the Golden State someday. StreetsBlog San Francisco sat down with Boris Lipkin, a director at the California High-Speed Rail Authority, to talk tracks, trends, and timelines.

Oakville Transit in Ontario announced that its new battery electric buses have arrived! They’ll be picking up people starting in spring 2023 and helping to make a positive impact by lowering greenhouse gas emissions for the Canadian town.

Detroit is one step closer to an entirely new fleet of environmentally-friendly buses. Ten clean-diesel coaches will arrive this spring, featuring bicycle racks, video infotainment, USB chargers, and protective barriers for operator safety.

Will electric vehicles save the planet? Probably not. The batteries alone are causing mining messes in places nowhere near the garages where they are parked. Walking and micromobility, though? That’s the way to go!