Have you ever watched a busy downtown city street and wondered how many of those cars are Ubers, how far they’re going, and how long it usually takes them to get there? City planners and transit administrators do, and so to make their lives a little easier, Uber’s planning to start giving away some aggregated, public-interest data to help transit planners plan. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Volkswagen Finally Has A Fix For 70,000 Of Its “Dirty Diesels”
By 1.6.17
Try, try, and try again, and eventually you’re bound to get it right. Or at least that appears to be the case for Volkswagen and regulators who have finally reached a deal to fix thousands of diesel vehicles equipped with so-called “defeat devices” that skirt federal emissions standards. [More]
Sisters Claim Their Father Died Without Them After Allegiant Booted Them From Flight
By 1.6.17
It’s unlikely that getting kicked off a flight is ever a pleasant experience, but two sisters say that when Allegiant Air removed them from a recent flight, they found themselves in a nightmare, unable to reach their father in hospice care before he passed away. [More]
You Can Drive A Different Cadillac Every Day — If You’ve Got An Extra $1,500/Month
By 1.5.17
Want to cruise around town in a luxury vehicle but can’t decide which car you want to commit to? Cadillac thinks it has a solution with a new subscription service that gives members access to an array of Cadillacs for a flat monthly fee. [More]
Ford Putting Amazon’s Alexa In Cars
By 1.5.17
We already have connected cars and infotainment systems that can call our friends, change the radio, and offer directions to destinations. But that’s yesterday’s tech, at least for Ford. The carmaker is apparently taking a scene straight from the classic Knight Rider series, to include its own KITT — via Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant — in vehicles starting this summer. [More]
Tesla Powering Up New Battery-Making Gigafactory
By 1.4.17
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s battery-making dreams are finally coming true with the start of operations at the company’s Gigafactory in Reno, NV. [More]
Faraday Future Unveils Latest Electric Vehicle, FF91
By 1.4.17
It looks like Tesla has some competition in the high-end electric vehicle field: startup automaker Faraday Future unveiled its first commercial electric vehicle targeted for production prior to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Drunk Lyft Driver Caused Serious Car Crash
By 1.3.17
Having someone else drive when you’ve had a few too many alcoholic beverages is always important — but what if the person you hire to drive you is the one who’s drunk? Two Lyft passengers in California say their trip ended with a terrifying crash because their driver was intoxicated. [More]
You Have Until Jan. 15 To Lock In Unlimited Access To Tesla Superchargers
By 1.3.17
If you were bummed when Tesla Motors announced it would be ending the program that gives Model S and Model X owners free access to the company’s Supercharger stations, take heart: you’ve got about 12 additional days to buy a Tesla vehicle and lock in a lifetime of unlimited charging. [More]
Computer Outage Leaves Thousands Of Travelers Waiting Hours To Go Through Customs
By 1.3.17
We are barely a few days into the new year and already a computer glitch has disrupted travel plans for thousands of people: a nationwide outage in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection system on Monday night resulted in travelers waiting for hours to enter the country on one of the busiest travel days of the year.. [More]
Uber Driver Reportedly Saves Woman From Human Trafficking
By 12.29.16
When you see a headline containing the phrase “Uber Driver” it’s rarely good news. In the past, the ridesharing company’s drivers have faced accusations of assaulting, overcharging, and stranding passengers, but today we have a welcome change of pace. Police in California say one Uber driver actually helped to save a teen from a human trafficking ring. [More]
Honda Recalls 650K Minivans Over Concerns About Second-Row Seats
By 12.29.16
If you’re ever in a car crash, you don’t want your seat sliding around in its tracks. Which is why Honda is recalling nearly 650,000 minivans with second-row seats that can come unlocked and move around after a collision. [More]
Parents Of Child Killed By Distracted Driver Sue Apple For Not Blocking FaceTime While Driving
By 12.29.16
On Christmas Eve 2014, a driver distracted by using FaceTime on his iPhone crashed into another vehicle on I-35 in Texas, killing the 5-year-old girl in the back seat. The child’s parents and her older sister — all also injured in the collision — are now suing Apple, alleging that the company was negligent in not deploying safeguards that would restrict the use of FaceTime while driving. [More]
Uber Passenger: Driver Stranded Her Halfway Through 150-Mile Trip Home From Hospital
By 12.28.16
An Arizona woman says she was left stranded at a gas station in the desert on Christmas when her Uber driver decided he didn’t want to continue the second half of the 150-mile trip. [More]
Gas Prices Will Go Up In 7 States Starting Jan. 1
By 12.28.16
As if waking up on Jan. 1 after a few too many glasses of bubbly the night before isn’t painful enough, drivers in seven states will be starting off the new year with higher gas prices, thanks to new taxes. [More]
Family Claims United Airlines Left 12-Year-Old Girl Alone After Flight To Houston
By 12.28.16
Each year, parents fork over hundreds of dollars to airlines’ unaccompanied minors programs to ensure their children traveling alone by plane make it to their destination safely. While most of these trips go swimmingly, a few don’t. Case in point: an Iowa couple says their 12-year-old daughter was left alone at a Houston airport despite paying extra to ensure she was accompanied at all times. [More]
Braking Failures In Older Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan Vehicles Under Investigation
By 12.27.16
When driving in certain weather situations — like a snowstorm or when it’s raining — it’s important to leave enough room between you and other vehicles to lessen the chance of an accident. But that space may not be enough when it comes to nearly 475,000 Ford and Mercury vehicles now under investigation for brake failure. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Brands & Vehicles Make Poor Showing In Latest Owner Satisfaction Survey
By 12.22.16
There are dozens of car, truck, SUV, and minivan brands to choose from, but one carmaker is bringing up the rear in the latest owner satisfaction survey from our colleagues at Consumer Reports. [More]
