This Bonus News and Views episode covers three major Chicago transit stories: the CTA’s expansion of its frequent bus network to increase ridership and reduce wait times, a $10 million pilot deploying non-law enforcement crisis specialists on rail lines to address homelessness and mental health crises, and the creation of a new regional transit authority (NITA) that consolidates CTA, Metra, and Pace governance.

We explain why frequency is driving ridership, how non-police responders fit into national safety trends, and what the governance change could mean for coordination across the region.

Show Notes: 

Story 1: Frequent Network expansion

Story 2: Crisis intervention pilot

Story 3: Northern Illinois Transit Authority transition

In this episode Rick L'Amie interviews Indigo Rosenberg of San Francisco Transit Riders about Eyes on Board, a live map and anonymous survey documenting harassment on public transit.

The project collects location, time, route, and short descriptions while offering an educational campaign to define harassment and suggest bystander responses.

The conversation shows how lived experiences limit mobility, explains why reporting matters, and urges listeners to report incidents to help reclaim safer, more walkable cities.

Show Notes:

Eyes on Board website: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8660b07fafbd40e98ae67e0f54fff8f3

Streetsblog SF article - Guest Post: Documenting Harassment on Public Transit:

https://sf.streetsblog.org/2026/08/12/guest-post-documenting-harassment-on-public-transit?utm_source=streetsblog-usa.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=wednesday-8217-s-streetsblog-newsletter

Eyes on Board: Documenting Harassment and Impaired Mobility - Medium:

https://medium.com/san-francisco-transit-riders/eyes-on-board-documenting-harassment-and-impaired-mobility-fdb563083fc9

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/eyesonboard.sf?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsi=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

In this episode of Transportopia News and views, our bonus episode between full programs: Congress failed to renew $38.6 billion in annual transportation advance appropriations, while critics accuse the administration of sitting on another $1.9 billion in transit funds. The Transportation Secretary has moved to remove bike lanes from federal safety guidance and seek funding limits, despite research showing protected bike lanes improve safety and don’t necessarily worsen congestion.

We also visit Kansas City, where crews are spraying streetcar tracks to prevent heat warping, and examine rising pedestrian fatalities and a new planning tool that maps walkability to transit. The episode ties these stories together around the strain on large systems and the smaller, human-scale fixes that can help.

Show Notes

   also: https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/06/us-senate-stopgap-fails-to-renew-more-than-38b-a-year-in-state-transportation-funding/

   also: https://www.fastcompany.com/91581060/dei-bike-lanes

   ITDP Atlas of Sustainable City Transport - https://itdp.org/publication/walkability-tool/

Design Rules Company co-founders Kirill Safin and Emily Perkins Rock talk about Metroboard, a live moving subway map that began when a new LA Metro station changed how they experienced the city. They describe the makers’ journey from aerospace to Kickstarter success, building a product that blends design, real-time transit data, and emotional connections to place.

The episode covers Metroboard’s origins, customer stories, related projects like transit trading cards and City Sounds, and the company’s broader mission to create physical objects that help people notice and celebrate the movement and life of cities. Want your own Metroboard? We have them available in the new Transportopia store! Check it out! https://www.transportopia.org/shop

Show Notes:

The Design Rules Company: https://www.designrules.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designrulesco/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@designrulesco

X: https://x.com/designrulescoht

Transportopia News and Views, our bonus episode between full shows, covers a federal shift in bus funding that now favors low-emission buses over zero-emission models and Sacramento's decision to study bus rapid transit to the airport instead of costly light rail.

Host Rick L'Amie also examines transit agencies converting station land into housing, Oklahoma City's push for a transit sales tax before congestion worsens, and a playful New York subway newsstand run by a comedian.

Across these stories you'll hear how practical funding changes, cost-driven pivots, land-use strategies, and creative community projects are reshaping public transit.

Show Notes:

Transportopia host Rick L'Amie visits with Streetsblog USA journalist Ren Zaro Fitzgerald, a young transit reporter and content creator. They discuss the importance of transit safety, funding challenges, innovative grassroots initiatives, and the future of transportation technology. This episode offers insights into community-led transit improvements and policy debates shaping urban mobility.

Show Notes

Streets Blog - https://streetsblog.org

The 2026 World Cup unexpectedly boosted public transit in U.S. host cities, producing record ridership for systems such as Sound Transit and BART after federal grants funded extra service.

Despite this success, proposed federal funding cuts threaten to reverse gains, leaving uncertainty about whether the ridership spike will persist once tournament-related service and attention fade.

Podcast host Rick L'Amie explores these topics in Transportopia's biweekly bonus News and Views episode between full-length shows.  This is a special News and Views edition focusing on the postive and unexpected impact World Cup 2026 had on public transportation across the country.  Visit Transportopia.org for show notes and other resources. Please follow and like us wherever you get your podcast. #worldcup #publictransportation

Show Notes

Story One — The Surprise MVP

Story Two — Seattle

Story Three — BART

Story Four — The $100M in federal grants

Story Five — The BUILD Act cut

A forward-thinking 16-year-old named Kenyen Coleman founded something called The Drive Time Movement - an impressive effort to use data to push for better public transit and community change. His website offers calculators and a free advocacy toolkit that make commute time, true car costs, and environmental impact personal and actionable.

This episode follows Kenyen’s journey, the tools he built, and what he hopes for the future of public transit in America. Big ideas for a young person with a vision for the future. Visit transportopia.org for show notes our blog and other resources.

Show Notes:

The Transportopia News and Views Bonus episode between full shows examines four major transit stories: a record-breaking ridership surge during the 2026 World Cup across U.S. host cities; Brightline’s narrow escape from missed payments as it wrestles with $5.5 billion in debt; the near-certainty that the 21st Century Road to Housing Act will become law, linking zoning and transit planning; and a public feud between Amtrak and the MTA over control and funding of the Penn Station overhaul.

Host Rick L'Amie ties these stories together via a common thread of money and power — who pays for transit, who controls it, and whether short-term wins (like World Cup ridership) can translate into lasting change. Visit transportopia.org for show notes and more.

Show Notes: Story Sources

World Cup Ridership Records

Sound Transit / FOX 13 Seattle: https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/world-cup-sound-transit-ridership-record

Brightline Dodges Default

The Bond Buyer: https://www.bondbuyer.com/news/brightline-florida-squeaks-by-debt-payments-gains-two-week-grace-period

Housing Bill / Transit DNA (21st Century ROAD to Housing Act)

Bipartisan Policy Center: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/issue-brief/inside-the-deal-whats-in-the-final-21st-century-road-to-housing-act/

Penn Station Turf War

Streetsblog NYC: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/06/29/the-explainer-why-the-penn-station-project-is-getting-all-messed-up-again

This encore episode of Transportopia features Professor Anastasia Lukaitou‑Sideris discussing transit safety after a high‑profile incident in Charlotte. The conversation with Host Rick L'Amie focuses on how design, lighting, visibility, targeted staffing, technology, and community partnerships can reduce both crime and the fear of crime for riders and operators.

Professor Lukaitou‑Sideris highlights practical steps agencies can take now—safety audits, strategic resource allocation, environmental design changes, and clinician partnerships—to create transit spaces that feel open, welcoming, and secure, with special attention to women’s experiences.

Show Notes:

Professor Lukaitou-Sideris UCLA web page bio

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Crime Report News Release