transportation

Video: Taylor on Ride Share

By Evan Smith Sept. 4, 2015

At our 9/4 conversation, San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor talked the status of the city's ongoing negotiations with Lyft and Uber. Full Story
Video: A Conversation with Steve Adler and Ivy Taylor

By Evan Smith Sept. 4, 2015

Full video of my 9/4 conversation with Austin Mayor Steve Adler and San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor. Full Story
Uber Expanding Options for Disabled in Austin

By Aman Batheja July 28, 2015

Uber is adding Austin to a small list of cities in which it will offer more wheelchair-accessible vehicles among its transportation options, the company confirmed Tuesday. Full Story
Federal Highway Funding Showdown is Latest TxDOT Budget Scramble

By Phoebe Tollefson, Medill News Service July 28, 2015

As Congress barrels toward a Friday deadline to fund the nation’s highway system, transportation experts across the country are responding to ever-tighter budgets with simple but significant cost-saving changes. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Here's a Look at What Happened With Straus' and Patrick's Priority Bills

By Aman Batheja and Becca Aaronson July 8, 2015

Over the course of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made their priorities known by what bills got the lowest bill numbers. Take a look at how those proposals fared. Full Story
Google Puts Self-Driving Vehicle to the Test on Austin Streets

By Aman Batheja July 7, 2015

Over the past week, Google began testing one of its self-driving vehicles in Austin. The test drives come after years of experimenting with its groundbreaking autonomous vehicle technology almost exclusively in California. Full Story
Toll Road Projects in Limbo Following Session

By Aman Batheja June 24, 2015

Texas' network of tolled highways stretches for more than 500 miles, but its growth was curtailed this session as lawmakers passed several measures that make it tougher for toll projects to move forward. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
Supreme Court: Texas Can Ban Confederate License Plates

By Aman Batheja June 18, 2015

In a 5-4 ruling released Thursday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court backed Texas’ decision to forbid specialty license plates sporting an image of the Confederate flag. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
A&M Will Host SpaceX Competition — But Track's Headed to California

By Liz Crampton June 15, 2015

Though the test track for a futuristic high-speed transportation system is headed to California, not Texas, the private space company SpaceX announced Monday that it's hosting a Hyperloop design-build competition at Texas A&M University. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
Catch Up on Transportation Issues From the Session

By Aman Batheja June 10, 2015

While lawmakers reached an agreement to boost transportation funding during the 84th legislative session, other issues stalled. See what happened on all transportation issues from this session using our Texas Legislative Guide. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht
At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision

By Aman Batheja June 2, 2015

At the Texas Department of Transportation, employees have expressed concern about the impact of a bill aimed at reducing conflicts of interests in state contracting. Gov. Greg Abbott signaled Tuesday that he intends to sign the bill. Full Story

Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller
Abbott Touts Successful Session on Transportation

By Aman Batheja and Jim Malewitz June 2, 2015

The day after lawmakers ended their legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott touted a successful session for transportation funding and issues, as he signed three bills on a heliport in Dallas. Full Story

Credit: Jim Malewitz
Texans to Vote on Plan to Boost Road Funding

By Aman Batheja May 30, 2015

The Texas Legislature voted Saturday to ask the state's voters in November to approve a plan to boost annual transportation funding by billions of dollars. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
House, Senate Leaders Confirm Transportation Funding Deal

By Aman Batheja May 26, 2015

House and Senate leaders have come to an agreement on a deal to significantly boost the Texas Department of Transportation’s funding. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
Contracting Experiment Drawing Mixed Reviews

By Eva Hershaw May 22, 2015

After four years of trying out a new way of awarding state contracts known as design-build, lawmakers aren't sure taxpayers get a better deal, and Texas businesses say they're being muscled out of jobs by larger, out-of-state companies. Full Story

Credit: Mark Graham
Senate Moves to Reform Driver Responsibility Program

By Edgar Walters May 21, 2015

The Texas Senate voted Thursday to weaken the state’s Driver Responsibility Program, which critics say unfairly penalizes poor Texans. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
House, Senate at Odds Over Provision That Would Block Bullet Train

By Aman Batheja May 20, 2015

House and Senate leaders are in the midst of intense negotiations over a budget rider that could kill a proposed $12 billion bullet train project connecting Dallas and Houston. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
End of the Road for Tesla, Ride-for-Hire Bills

By Jim Malewitz and Ryan McCrimmon May 14, 2015

With the clock winding down on the legislative session, Tesla Motors, Uber and Lyft have little to show for the money they spent on high-profile lobbying. As deadlines loom, the bills they were steering appear to have run out of gas. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Tesla Motors and Ben Hasson
A Smorgasbord of Disclosure, Online for the First Time

By Aman Batheja and Ryan Murphy May 6, 2015

A state lawmaker is pushing to make all financial disclosure statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission available online so the public can easily find them. In that spirit, the Tribune presents the disclosures filed by scores of state agency heads, regents and others that you can't get online now. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Rural Critics Organize to Stop Private Bullet Train

By Aman Batheja May 5, 2015

Dallas and Houston leaders may want a super-fast train connecting their cities, but folks in between aren't as sold on the idea. Some have formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail, and they're hiring lobbyists and courting allies in a bid to kill the plan. Full Story

Credit: JR Central