Bus

Detroit Scraps Train Plans

The city and federal DOT have decided against a $600 million plan that would introduce light rail and, subsequently, more residents to the city. Instead, money will go to improving a notoriously unreliable bus system.
18 December 2011 - 5:00am
The Wall Street Journal

Why I Gave Up the Bus...For a Bike

Wed, 11/02/2011 - 09:45

In August, I moved into a high density apartment complex just 1.5 miles from my office and a five minute walk to a bus stop. One of the central advantages of the building's location was its access to alternative transportation modes. While I could park my car for "free" (the real cost is built into the lease), I was interested in keeping it parked as much as possible. Now, after nearly three months of experimentation, I'm ready to give up the bus, and the reasons are central to understanding the future of transit in the US.

The Bus and The Train Are Friends

Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.
27 May 2011 - 6:00am
the transport politic

Why Intercity Bus Travel is Growing

Intercity bus travel is the fastest growing mode of travel for the third year in a row. This piece from New Geography looks at why.
25 April 2011 - 9:00am
New Geography

Israel's Only Subway is a Mountain Climber

TheCityFix's Jonna McKone profiles one of the most interesting subways in the world — Haifa's Carmelit funicular — and the city's BRT system.
31 October 2010 - 7:00am
TheCityFix

Big Brother is Watching You Ride the Bus

Electronic passes used to board transit systems in the Seattle region could offer a new eye for Big Brother. According to privacy rights activists, the data in the employer-provided passes can be monitored by employers without employees' knowledge.
20 December 2009 - 1:00pm
The Seattle Times

San Antonio Tries Bus Wi-Fi

San Antonio is wrapping up a month-long experiment that has offered free Wi-Fi internet access on some of its buses.
24 November 2009 - 5:00am
The Houston Chronicle

D.C. Bus Gets Real-Time Locator Application

A new web-based application that tracks the location of Washington D.C.'s Circulator bus has been released.DCist reports.
29 June 2009 - 8:00am
DCist

Boston's Transportation Choices Studied

A draft Environmental Impact Report is now underway to study the proposed routes and power sources for rail extensions south of Boston. Considerations include ridership, wetlands, smart growth benefits, and future development around train stations.
10 April 2009 - 1:00pm
The Boston Globe

How to Become an Expert Transit Rider

This commentary from re:place magazine offers tips and insights into how one can ride transit like a pro.
1 March 2009 - 1:00pm
re:place

Can A Pedestrian-Only Street Go Back to Having Buses?

Manners Mall in Wellington, NZ, has been closed to all vehicles since the seventies. The City Council wants to restore buses through the walkway to improve service.
16 February 2009 - 9:00am
The Dominion Post

Seattle Tunnel Plan's Price Tag Causes Concern

Plans to replace Seattle's aging inner-city freeway with a $4.2 billion tunnel and expanded bus service have many lawmakers concerned about being able to raise enough money to make it happen.
11 February 2009 - 10:00am
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

New York City Bus Tracking System Delayed

A long-help plan to install GPS-ready bus tracking equipment to New York City buses has been pushed off indefinitely.
3 February 2009 - 10:00am
NY1 News

Magnetic Bus Idea To Test In Oregon

Transit officials in Eugene, Oregon, have announced plans to install a test route for a magnet-guided bus technology.
31 January 2009 - 9:00am
The Register-Guard

Pittsburgh Looks to Transit For Rebirth

Officials in Pittsburgh are hoping that expanding transit-oriented development will spur growth in struggling and decaying neighborhoods -- and they have the voter-approved legislation to help.
13 January 2009 - 5:00am
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Lesser Evil

Thu, 12/11/2008 - 11:17

Due to the collapse of local tax revenues caused by the national economic downturn, many transit systems may face shortages of money over the next year or two. Assuming this is the case, transit providers will have to either raise fares or reduce services by eliminating bus routes or otherwise reducing transit service.

It seems to me that raising fares is generally the lesser evil, both from the standpoint of an individual rider and from the standpoint of the transit agency itself.

Maryland Bus Services Strained by Overtime Caps

Budget cuts have resulted in new overtime caps imposed on the Maryland Transit Administration, causing delays and even cancellations of some bus runs.
23 October 2008 - 1:00pm
The Baltimore Sun

NIMBY Couple Fights Bus Route

This column looks at the NIMBY-minded attitude of one couple that has been fighting to prevent a bus line from coming into their neighborhood.
21 October 2008 - 8:00am
The Toronto Star

Friday Funny: Bus Driver Caught Playing Video Games on Route

An Oahu Transit bus driver was caught playing a Playstation Portable on his route. Reports fail to include which game he was playing- Grand Theft Auto, perhaps?
3 October 2008 - 2:00pm
KGMB-TV

One way to protect bus riders

Wed, 08/06/2008 - 12:31

As gas prices keep rising, the public demand for buses and trains keeps growing. Yet in some cities, government is actually cutting back transit service, because rising gas prices make transit vehicles more expensive to operate.(1) But as a matter of substantive policy, service reductions are not only less desirable than service increases, but also less desirable than fare increases. As a bus rider, I’d rather pay $1.50 and know that my service is safe from fiscal crises than pay $1 and worry that my service might be reduced or canceled next month. Moreover, if fairness means spreading pain equally throughout the population, it is fairer to have everyone pay a little more than to have some neighborhoods be left without service.

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