Why some cities should kick out cars, but others can’t and won’t

Bollore BlueCars recharging at Paris curb for the Autolib electric-car sharing service, Sep 2016U.S. visitors to European cities, especially capitals like Paris and Rome and Madrid and London, often remark how different they are from those in the U.S. Many of their historic cores, dating back far before automobiles existed, remain intact—and for much of the 20th century, they coexisted uncomfortably with those cars and trucks. Now...

Shenzhen now uses only electric buses: 16,500 of them

Bus in Shenzhen, China, By GEei Ginhee wins (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]Over the last few years, the Chinese government has begun to push electric vehicles with all its might. In addition to incentivizing the purchase of electric vehicles, the central government has recently banned the sale of some 553 fossil-fuel passenger cars in the country. But when it comes to local concerns, a collection of municipalities...

Los Angeles Metro orders 100 electric buses

New Flyer Xcelsior Charge electric busAs part of its bid to go green, America's second-largest bus system has placed an order for up to 100 New Flyer Xcelsior Charge all-electric buses. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has ordered 35 buses and has the option to purchase an additional 65. DON'T MISS: LA Metro uses BYD's electric buses L.A.'s new...

BMW venture arm invests in U.S. electric-bus maker Proterra

Proterra Catalyst electric busYou can't buy one at your local car dealer, but electric transit buses have a significant role to play in reducing vehicular emissions and expanding the spread of electric-vehicle technology. Two companies have a majority of the U.S. market for electric buses, which is growing quickly if perhaps more quietly than that for electric cars. The U.S...

Update: Chinese elevated bus now abandoned, blocking road traffic

Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) - Image via China Xinhua NewsLast week, the massive Chinese elevated bus whose renderings had rocketed around the Internet made its first test run. The bus runs on rails embedded in the street, with room for cars to pass underneath it. Officially known as the Transit Elevated Bus, or TEB-1, it carried its first passengers on a stretch of street in the city of Qinhuangdao...

Uber logs another mass-transit win, this time in New Jersey

Uber appSupporters of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft believe they can do more than simply serve as alternatives to private car ownership. Both companies and policymakers are experimenting with ways to use ride-sharing to supplement, even replace, dedicated mass-transit infrastructure. The latest example comes from New Jersey, where officials in...