Transit agencies and companies have tried raising toll prices at peak times, but even that's not keeping drivers away, so they're looking for new ways to reduce congestion.   The toll lanes on the Harbor Freeway and the San Bernadino Freeway are little more than three years old. Metro opened the toll lanes on those highways in November 2012 and February 2013, respectively. Like similar projects in other metro areas, the new lanes were part of a larger effort to improve commutes that also involves more transit options. Metro offers $5 in toll credits to any rider who uses buses along the same route 32 times during rush hour. About 2.7 percent of its users have signed up for the program.  

Rail ridership along MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) lines increased by 2.6 percent in 2014 compared with 2013's ridership, agency officials reported yesterday.  NYCT logged a total of 1.751 billion customers for 2014, which marked the highest annual ridership in more than 65 years, agency officials said in a press release.  Weekday ridership saw a 132,000 yearly increase in 2014, with the system now carrying 5.6 million customers each weekday and 6 million customers on the weekend.

Thea Garon discusses the opportunities and challenges presented by Philadelphia's new transit fare card, exploring the potential impact on users' financial health. "Access to financial services will never be a full solution for eradicating poverty," said Garon. "But for those who are struggling, at the cusp of achieving financial stability, then prepaid cards can absolutely go a long way for expanding accessibility for this group."

Nerdwallet - April 14, 2015      

A solid majority, 71% of Americans, believe the country "should do whatever it takes to protect the environment," according to a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center.  This strong public interest in our environment extends to urban living, prompting NerdWallet's curiosity: Even though we all know that the city we live in influences our transportation and energy choices, how do environmental impacts differ across the U.S.?

Earlier this month, Progressive Railroading and RailTrends announced that CSX Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward was the 2015 recipient of the "Railroad Innovator Award." The award recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry. ?And achieve, Mr. Ward has.

Metro Transit Police plan to run an emergency response drill at Greenbelt station this weekend.  According to a Metro spokeswoman, the drill was not in response to Wednesday's bridge collapse at the station. The drill - the first in a quarterly series to improve responder training in the wake of a fatal smoke incident in January - was already planned, according to a Metro news release. 

Residents in the five-county Philadelphia region have an opportunity this week to submit comments and questions regarding SEPTA's 2016 budget.  According to SEPTA, the budget will increase 2.84 over fiscal year 2015 to $1.36 billion, covering expenses between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. It includes resources for the permanent implementation of 24-hour weekend service on the Broad Street Line subway and Market-Frankford Line subway/elevated, which was launched as a pilot program last year.

A plan in the earliest possible stages of outreach and environmental review would extend the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's existing Red Line north of Atlanta farther into Fulton County.

In one of the most overpopulated cities in the world, public transportation is a pretty key resource. As anyone living in midtown Manhattan knows, it's tough to navigate a city where car travel is virtually impossible at many hours of the day. Every major urban center approaches this problem differently: In New York, most people use the subway, while in other cities like Delhi, buses are the most common form of public transportation. They're cheap, easy to use, and there is no confusing technology involved. And to make things better, Delhi's system just got an upgrade: The first female bus driver in Delhi just started her route.