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U.N.'s urgent call for emissions cuts means fewer cars, experts say

Aug 9, 2021
Climate scientists say in the U.S., the transportation sector is the largest source of carbon emissions. Expanding public transit is key, they say.
Investments in public transit could help curb U.S. emissions. Above, a subway train arrives at a Brooklyn station in New York City in November 2020.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Public transit tries to lure riders back with reduced fares, other incentives

Jul 12, 2021
Across the country, ridership is still way below pre-pandemic levels.
Passengers at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in San Francisco. Despite the economy reopening, public transit use is still down dramatically in many metropolitan areas.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Proposed cuts to New York City subway could make life worse for many

Aug 31, 2020
Service reductions would hurt essential workers most. The system is seeking a federal funding bailout.
In Manhattan, the subway serves fewer riders than before the pandemic, and the transit authority is suffering financially.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A Shanghai postcard: life after the COVID-19 economic shutdown

Apr 27, 2020
With masks, fever checks and health QR codes, there are signs that the coronavirus still poses a threat to daily life.
Marketplace's Jennifer Pak on a hike three hours outside of Shanghai. Before departing, she had to make sure she could return to the city without being quarantined.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

U.K.’s Crossrail delay threatens small businesses along the line

Nov 25, 2019
The delayed arrival of Europe’s biggest infrastructure project — an east-west rail line across London — has hit small businesses located along the route.
A worker looks along a train tunnel at the Canary Wharf Crossrail station in London in 2017.
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

New York City subways are getting a tap-to-pay system

May 30, 2019
The pilot might result in riders using the same method to pay for other goods and services.
Customers move through the turnstiles at the Fulton Center subway station on February 27, 2019 in New York City.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

How a Canadian town "Uberized" its public transportation

May 6, 2019
The ride-hailing company partners with cities, but not without complications.
Some cities are looking to Uber to aid their public transportation.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The U.S. has tried to build high-speed rail for 50 years

Apr 4, 2019
Today, a train ride from LA to San Francisco takes 12 hours. In 1937, it took 10.
Amtrak's Hiawatha train between Chicago and Milwaukee arrives at the Glenview, Illinois station in 2005.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Report: The average American spends the equivalent of 2.5 work weeks in traffic

Feb 13, 2019
The report, from traffic data company INRIX, finds Boston drivers spend the most time in congested commutes, with Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York and Los Angeles rounding out the top 5.
David Paul Morris / Getty Images

The future of American infrastructure might lie in public-private partnerships

Feb 6, 2019
The promise of investment in "cutting-edge" technology came out of this year's State of the Union.
Then-U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (L) and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao (C) watch US President Donald Trump speaks wave during his visit to the U.S. Department of Transportation on June 9, 2017 in Washington, D.C. 
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images