Uber targets elderly passengers in rural Japan Ms Tanaka defies customer stereotypes. She is not a smartphone-owning young professional living in a city: she is a 90-year-old pensioner based in a remote corner of rural Japan. “I used to take the bus to go to hospital,” Ms Tanaka, who lives in far-flung Tangocho, a tiny coastal town overlooking the Sea of Japan around three hours by bus from Kyoto, told the Telegraph. – Link
Advocates for New York’s Working Poor Push for Discounted Transit Fares At a time when New York City can seem unbearably expensive, advocates for the poor are targeting a rising cost that many people struggle to afford: a MetroCard. And with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority poised to approve its latest fare increase in January, they are pressing Mayor Bill de Blasio to finance a program that would offer half-price subway and bus fares to New Yorkers living in poverty.- Link
Why walk when you can ride? Smart device that goes where cars can’t. The Carr-E has an impressive set of capabilities. Designed by a systems engineer based in Cologne, Germany, it’s able to carry people or objects weighing up to 120 kg (265 lb) at up to 18 km/h (11 mph). Range is limited to 22 km (13.7 mi), which should be more than enough to scoot from a car park to the office or train station. – Link
This Startup Wants to Drag Bus Travel Out of the Dark Ages–and It Just Might The headache of intercity bus travel hasn’t changed much in the United States for decades. Yet, of late, passenger trips on intercity bus lines have been on the rise–surging 36 percent from 2008 to 2015, according to DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development. Low fuel prices have given bus companies higher revenue to work with, researchers found, and they’re using this extra income to focus on amenities.- Link
Cyclists should ‘pay road tax and hold insurance’ to ride on British roads, says petition Over 22,000 people have signed an online petition calling for British cyclists to ‘hold insurance and pay road tax’ – Link
Nearly 70% of US transit ballot measures pass Public transport across the United States was a major winner in the November 8 election as 33 of the 48 local and state-wide public transit measures up for a vote were approved; a passage rate of 69%, based on unofficial results.- Link
City uses toilet paper to help repair cracked roads It’s not pranksters or vandals who placed toilet paper all over the streets of Littleton, Colorado, it was city workers. Officials say toilet paper was applied with a paint roller over freshly laid tar used to fill asphalt cracks. The paper absorbs the oil from the tar as it dries, keeping it from sticking to pedestrian’s shoes or car and bike tires. – Link
