Today, we spend more than five times as many federal dollars on roads as we spend on public transit. We spend more building new road capacity than we spend fixing existing roads. Those priorities affect the competitiveness of our economy, the sustainability of our environment, the livability of our cities, and the mobility of the poor, not to mention the amount of time we spend banging our fists on our steering wheels in traffic and the likelihood that our bridges will collapse. read more

ALERT FOR MILWAUKEE RIDERS: “All MCTS service will end at 3 a.m. Wednesday when drivers intend to stop work and begin walking picket lines. Drivers are expected to return to work Saturday, according to leaders of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998.” Read more

University of Georgia bus stops might soon become considerably less noisy and more environmentally friendly. UGA officials are considering replacing part of the university’s bus fleet with electric buses. Such a bus visited the UGA campus recently as a kind of demonstration while on a promotion tour throughout the Southeast. “It was a pretty nice ride,” said UGA campus transit director Ron Hamlin. “It was smooth and quiet. There was no engine noise at all.” UGA could buy 16 of the vehicles if the federal Department of Transportation approves an $11.5 million UGA grant application, Hamlin said. UGA would add $5 million to the grant. read more

Do you think Univ. of Wisc. transit officials should consider doing the same?

In a late May ruling, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman sided with plaintiffs and blocked federal money for the expansion of Highway 23 to four lanes between Fond du Lac and Plymouth, telling the state Department of Transportation that its failure to fully explain how it arrived at its traffic projections and its decision not to consider updated population forecasts for those projections were “significant deficiencies.”

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Enterprise Rideshare, a service of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and the second largest vanpool operation in the country, is partnering with the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) to create and expand vanpool programs across the country. The partnership between Enterprise Rideshare and CTAA is a component of CTAA’s Vanpool Works program, a collaborative effort to provide organizations with the resources to start up or expand a vanpool program of any size. (pdf)

A report from the WISPIRG Foundation and Frontier Group shows how American cities are using new technologies for their transportation needs. The report, “The Innovative Transportation Index,” explores how these advances make it easier for more Americans to live full and engaged lives without owning a car.

The report ranks major American cities on a number of different types of new transportation technology options in the city, including: ride-sharing, bike-sharing, public transit navigation apps, and virtual transit ticketing, among others.

“None of these options even existed a few years ago, and this trend is just beginning,” said Phineas Baxandall, WISPIRG Foundation transportation program director. “Technology has given people new convenient ways to get around.”

The report calls on policymakers to tap into the potential of these services to address transportation challenges and increase the number of people able to live car-free or car-light lifestyles.

June 8 – August 31, Point Transit offers a Youth Ride Free Program. All youth up to 18 years of age can ride City buses free! Enjoy safe transportation on air-conditioned buses anywhere on regular routes. Excludes daycares/school or group field trips.

Service Hours Monday – Friday 6:45 am – 6:15 pm

Get More City Bus Information

We now have a snapshot into perceptions of transit and neighborhoods in 2014. As Millennials take center stage in American life and the Baby Boom generation confronts retirement, both the transit and real estate industries will have to adjust.

• Report “Who’s on Board 2014”

You can also go to the Transit Center web site for more information.