August 31, 2023
Industry Job and Announcements
Challenge: Sustainable Cities Challenge
Toyota Mobility Foundation
Deadline: September 18, 2023
Multiple Job Openings
Equiticity
Deadline: Rolling
RFP: Compensation Study and Job Classification Evaluation
VIA Metropolitan Transit
Deadline: October 10, 2023
RFP: Transit Management Services
Richland County Transit Board
Deadline: September 21, 2023
Mobility Justice
Saving lives and preventing injuries must be centered when creating transportation systems; engineers and policymakers cannot rely on individual choices.
Jacob Smith, the executive director of National Youth Transportation Equity Convening, explains how crucial BIPOC youth voices are in the transportation space. The September conference will convene young leaders advocating for safer, equitable transportation.
The transportation industry is a small yet mighty one. When transit industry workers face tough financial times, the Rays the Mark Foundation rallies funds for those in need.
Ridehailing/Carsharing/ Carpooling
New York City is cleaning up its transportation system with Green Rides. By 2030, all rideshare vehicles in the Big Apple must be zero emission or wheelchair accessible.
California Uber drivers must now be at least 25 years old; the company blames the 65% rise in high commercial auto insurance costs within two years.
Norman, Oklahoma, and the OU SafeRide program will introduce a new on-demand public rideshare service, and your first six rides are free!
Bikesharing & Micromobility
Micromobility has bounced back! Riders took 157 million trips in 2022, thanks to more North American cities offering bikeshare and scootershare. Dig into the full report here.
Tier launched an Acoustic Vehicle Alert System in London and York to help pedestrians estimate the distance and speed of e-scooters nearby.
Within two years, the Blue Bikes program in New Orleans provided over 500,000 rides! The community-run bikeshare is getting riders where they need to go, while helping NOLA’s goal of reducing automobile transportation by 50% by 2030.
Transit
A fiscal cliff looms for Chicago’s three transit agencies. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has several solutions for the agencies to face 2025.
The “crime train” narrative dates back to the 1930s, and the spread of the misinformation continues today, affecting recovering ridership.
Amtrak is now operating an electric bus to connect Seattle and Bellingham, Washington, complementing the round-trip trains, and all on a single charge.
Technology
To combat the Texas heat, Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority is designing 50 bus shelters with solar-powered fans.
EV battery recycling startup Redwood Materials reached $1 billion in funds, aiding its mission to expand the U.S. battery supply chain. The company looks to power one million EVs within two years.
Locals can explore San Fransisco’s Treasure Island on an autonomous EV shuttle called Loop.
Sustainability
Free bike riding lessons for kids ages 3-14 are coming to Boston! Community bike organizations will teach the basics, allowing children across the city to move sustainably.
Long Beach’s transportation is going green, starting with an e-bike lending program. The city plans to prioritize low-income individuals.
A new Government Accountability Office report reveals that many state DOTs and city planning organizations don’t have the funding, expertise, or incentives to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making critics wary we can reach the net-zero goal by 2050.
Our news picks on current shared mobility trends
Below you can access the most recent editions of the Mobility Hub newsletter, the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s roundup of the latest news in public transit, microtransit, ridehailing, micromobility, carpooling and carsharing, mobility technology, urban sustainability, and shared mobility initiatives from around the globe. If you have a news tip, RFP, or suggestion, please drop us a line.
You can access more issues of our biweekly email updates from the SUMC newsletter archive.