Twenty years after a federal court ordered the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, serving San Francisco and Oakland to make trains — and their stations, entries, and elevators — cleaner and more accessible for people with mobility issues, disabled rights groups say BART has either failed to live up to its obligations or backslid, resulting in a system that is “effectively unusable” for some. [More]
public transit
Bay Area’s Disabled Say BART Still Filthy, Unusable After All These Years
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Philadelphia Bus Evacuated After A Four-Foot Snake Gets Loose
By 10.19.15
You never know what you’re going to get when you’re on public transit — there could be a guy clipping his toenails, a bunch of kids dancing and flipping around on subway poles, mariachi bands, snakes… Yes, snakes: a Philadelphia bus had to be evacuated over the weekend after a four-foot snake decided he’d rather slither around instead of staying wrapped around his owner’s neck. [More]
NYC Officials Would Like To Remind Everyone To Please Refrain From Peeing On The Subway Platform
By 3.3.15
While there are some things one might hope wouldn’t need spelling out, if you want to get your message across, you’ve got to be clear. That’s why New York City’s transit officials felt the need to spell it out for patrons of the subway system, with a sign asking people to please not pee on the platform. [More]
Americans Took A Record 10.7 Billion Public Transit Rides Last Year
By 3.10.14
Does that headline make the hours you’ve spent taking public transit flash in front of your eyes? Because the fact that we took 10.7 billion public transit rides in 2013, the most since 1957, well that translates to billions of minutes. We did this together, everyone. [More]
Rush Hour Is Not The Best Time To Read The Paper If You’re The One Operating The Train
By 6.7.12
Catching up on current events on your train ride is a great way to pass the time, but maybe not so much if you’re the person operating said train. A Metro-North engineer in New York has been suspended after a passenger caught him on video reading the newspaper at the controls during a rush hour train ride yesterday morning. [More]
Is It Okay For Bus Drivers To Refuse Rides To Passengers With Strollers?
By 4.5.12
Not everyone who has kids has access to a car — which leads to the potentially complicated situation of taking a baby stroller on public transportation. In San Francisco, supervisors of the city’s Municipal Railway are challenging the current policy that lets bus operators refuse rides to people toting baby strollers. [More]
Service Cuts Mean $800,000 In New Signs For New York Subways
By 5.11.10
The New York subway is facing a budget crisis that is taking a toll on services. Deep cuts that will eliminate two trains and several bus routes have resulted in a pressing need for new signage. What will all these new signs cost? $800,000. [More]
Chicago Seeks Corporate Sponsors For Public Transit
By 2.13.10
Imagine giving public transit directions to your urban home in the future. “Oh, yeah, you take the Target Red Line, transfer at Comcast Station to the Apple Gray Line headed Fox Sports Westbound, and finally get off at Taco Bell Station.” Seem crazy? Well, you have to name transit stations something, and both Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority are exploring the idea of selling naming rights to stations. They’re not the first city to do this. [More]
Public Transit Ridership Highest In 52 Years
By 3.10.09
See, here’s some good news to the wallet-gouging gas prices of 2008: ridership of public transportation was up to 10.7 billion trips last year, “the highest level of ridership in 52 years” according to the American Public Transportation Association. It was the fifth consecutive year that ridership increased, but it may come to an end in 2009 because of skyrocketing unemployment.
Cell Service Coming To NYC Subways
By 9.20.07
The New York CIty subways are going to get cellphone service, according to the Daily News.
