Taxpayers Pony Up for Transit Systems They'll Never Use
The median resident of Southern California takes zero transit trips annually, and only 2 percent of the region's population frequently uses mass transit.
Public transportation
Transit Agencies Demand Taxpayer Subsidies To Stave Off 'Death Spirals.' There's a Better Way.
Service cuts that reflect falling demand and zoning reforms that bring more fare-paying residents back to cities could shore up transit agencies' budgets.
Atlanta Plans To Blow $230 Million on 2-Mile Extension of Useless Streetcar
That's more than $21,000 per foot. And the tab doesn't include operating costs, which taxpayers will also heavily subsidize.
The Absence of a 'Carmageddon' After the Philadelphia Bridge Collapse Doesn't Prove Highways Are Useless
The closure of I-95 is a teachable moment. But highway critics are learning the wrong lesson from it.
L.A. Spent $7,500 on a Prototype Bus Shade That Doesn't Shade Anything
When the state won't shade you, buy a hat.
As Rail Riders Disappear, the Feds Want To Spend $8.8 Billion Expanding a Rail Station
The rail lines servicing Washington, D.C.'s Union Station are carrying as little as a quarter of their pre-pandemic ridership. Officials still want to triple the station's capacity.
A 'Congestion' Charge on Just Ubers and Lyfts Won't Improve Congestion
A proposal to charge rideshare vehicles $2 to enter D.C.'s downtown during the day will probably reduce Uber and Lyft rides. But we shouldn't expect it to reduce overall traffic volumes.
'It's Like Stockholm Syndrome': Gloria Álvarez Is Trying To Save Latin America From Socialism
"If there is freedom, private property, rule of law, then Latin Americans thrive," says the social media star.
Problems With Mass Transit Won't Be Solved With More Money
The transit systems we're supposed to hop aboard ultimately operate as jobs programs for government workers.
New York Lawmakers Want To Use a 'Netflix Tax' To Pay for the Subway
From delivery fees to streaming taxes, New York can’t stomach having MTA users actually pay for the system themselves.
How the Media Got the Vinyl Chloride Risk All Wrong
The Ohio train accident was frightening enough. Spreading inaccurate information won’t help the citizens of East Palestine.
How To Save American Mass Transit
For transit to continue to serve a valuable role in the few places where it can compete, policy makers will need to rethink how service is provided.
Washington, D.C., Banned Bird E-Scooters: 'Arbitrary and Capricious,' Says Company
The company scored 445 points on the city's checklist—one fewer point than a company that did receive a permit.
By Abolishing Fares, Big Cities Embrace Transit's Death Spiral
Transit officials and transit-boosting politicians in D.C., L.A., and New York City are warming to the idea of being totally dependent on taxpayer subsidies.
Pandemic Repairs Were Supposed To Put D.C. Metro Back on Track. Then It Literally Went Off the Rails.
Putting the district's train system back on track will take more than better bureaucracy.
After 12 Years of False Starts, D.C. Metro Once Again Plots Return of Automated Trains
WMATA suspended automated train operations after the deadly 2009 Fort Totten crash. Perennial efforts to bring them back over the past decade have repeatedly fallen through.
Is This Atlanta Streetcar 'The Worst Transit Project of All Time'?
Transit ridership, especially rail, has collapsed post-pandemic, but the Atlanta BeltLine Coalition says now is the time to take federal dollars and build a $2.5 billion streetcar.
Do You Have a Right To Run Subway Ads Criticizing High Subway Fares?
A rider advocacy group says the Montreal's transit agency violated its free speech rights by refusing to run ads critical of recent fare hikes.
Even If the CDC's Mask Mandate Made Sense, That Would Not Make It Legal
The decision against the rule hinged on whether the agency had the power it asserted.
Eric Adams Says New York City's Density Justifies Subway Mask Mandate
"We should still have masks on the subway system. New York is unique. We are densely populated," said the mayor at a press conference today.
Biden's Protectionist Regulations Undermine His Own Infrastructure Plans
The White House is making it harder for people to request waivers from cost-increasing Buy America requirements in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law.
America's Post-Pandemic Reopening Is Passing Public Transportation By
Ridership is dismally depressed and a federal mask mandate for straphangers remains stubbornly in place.
St. Louis Taxpayers Paid a Lot To Run a Money-Losing Streetcar. It Could Cost Them Even More To Shut It Down.
The Federal Transit Administration says St. Louis officials either need to get its Loop Trolley back up and running or return $37 million in federal funds.
The D.C. Metro Is Still a Mess, But a 'Carpocalypse' Has Yet To Materialize
Why hasn't a collapse in rail transit service produced nightmarish levels of traffic congestion? Thank working from home and flexible work schedules.
It's Not Always a Bad Idea to Expand a Highway
Critics of adding road capacity ignore its benefits while proposing solutions that won't fix traffic congestion.
The Biden White House Is Lying About the Democrats' Spending Bill
For Biden, "build back better’" apparently means eyes on everything in the economy.
Derailment Investigation Leads D.C. Metro To Pull 60 Percent of Its Rail Cars From Service
D.C. transit officials have known since 2017 about a safety defect in its 7000 series cars that caused a derailment last week.
New Jersey Congressmen Want To Exempt New Jersey Drivers From New York's Congestion Tolls
The bill would strip New York of federal transit funding if Manhattan-bound Garden State motorists aren't spared from new tolls.
San Francisco Wants To Charge Drivers To Enter Downtown
A congestion pricing proposal would have drivers pay $6.50 every time they enter a downtown zone.
The Head of D.C.'s Long-Troubled Metro System Says Another Federal Bailout Is Needed To Stave Off Apocalyptic Service Cuts
D.C.'s public transit agency has already received close to $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds.
Did Subway Riders or Motorists Do More To Spread COVID-19 in New York City?
Transit wonks are debating which mode of transportation was most responsible for the country's worst COVID-19 outbreak.
Last Week, the Public Transit Industry Asked for $12.8 Billion in Emergency Funding. The Senate GOP Relief Bill Gives Transit $20 Billion. House Dems Want $25 Billion.
The public transit bailout is spiraling out of control.
Public Transit Advocates Ask for $12.8 Billion Bailout To Cope With 75 Percent Revenue Drop Related to Coronavirus
Public transit was already in decline before the COVID-19 outbreak. Now transit agencies are teetering on the brink of collapse.
Has D.C. Found the Right Way To Do 'Free' Public Transit?
Councilmember Charles Allen has proposed giving every D.C. resident a $100 monthly subsidy for bus and train rides.
Chicago Police Shooting Captured on Video Leads to Outrage, Dropped Charges
Man tackled, shot twice for crime of illegally shifting between train cars.
House Democrats' $760 Billion Infrastructure Proposal Has Lots of Funding Proposals, Few Proposed Funding Sources
The "Moving Forward Framework" includes some sensible reforms alongside expensive, dubious policy proposals.
D.C.'s Cash-strapped Public Transit Agency Didn't Know It Had Hundreds of $400 Gold Pins Sitting in Storage
A recent Inspector General's report found the agency had serious problems tracking and managing its inventory.
Standing-Only Metro Escalators Are Central Planners' Dream, but Riders' Nightmare
The argument for getting rid of walking on metro station escalators demonstrates the flaws of central planning logic.
Should Public Buses Be Free to Riders?
Kansas City wants everyone except bus riders to pay for bus rides.
Dublin Wants Scooter Riders to Wear Helmets, Reflective Vests, Pass Driving Test
Strict scooter regulations are a loss for choice and mobility.
I Was in a Scooter Accident. I Still Don't Want to Ban Them.
What happened to me could have happened to a cyclist or pedestrian. Blame cars, not scooters.
St. Louis Thought Hiring a Comedian Would Boost Trolley Ridership?!
It didn't, and now the Loop Trolley needs a $700,000 bailout to stay afloat.
New Bill Would Tie Federal Transit Funding to Local Zoning Reforms
Local governments that remove development restrictions near transit would have a better chance of scoring federal transit funding grants.
Subway Planners Forgot To Include Wheelchair-Friendly Platforms in $21.7 Million Accessibility Project, Audit Finds
A damning new audit of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority finds that subway improvement projects are plagued by delays and cost overruns.
D.C. Metro Spent $500,000 Maintaining a Self-Cleaning Toilet That Hasn't Flushed Since 2017
A new report from Metro's Office of the Inspector General details the agency's waste when dealing with riders' waste.