Transportopia: Public Transport Stories & Ideas

Rick L’Amie
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Society & Culture

A new podcast and blog about public transportation trends, ideas, challenges and the future hosted by public transit veteran and former broadcast journalist Rick L'Amie. Visit the blog at transportopia.org.

  1. Sep 8

    Encore Episode: Take the Train - Confessions of a G Train Subway Rider

    Transportopia host Rick L'Amie plays an encore of his favorite episode: a conversation with his daughter Lauren, a ten-year New York resident and daily subway rider. They ride the G and 7 trains, discuss OMNY replacing the MetroCard, quirks of the G, pandemic life, MTA strengths and frustrations, and the realities of car-free living. Lauren’s simple advice — take the train — anchors a broader reflection on transit as the city’s heartbeat, schlep culture, and why public transportation must work for everyone.

  2. Sep 2 ·  Bonus

    News and Views Sept. 1, 2026: Chicago Expands Its High-Frequency Bus Network — A Nationwide Trend

    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 CTA Bolsters Frequent Network with Four Additional Routes by End of 2026 — Chicago Transit Authority press release, August 18, 2026 Transport Chicago's "Year of the Bus" panel discussed CTA service upgrades that contributed to increased ridership — Streetsblog Chicago Metro Bus Network Redesign, Houston — NACTO Transit Ridership Falling Everywhere — But Not in Cities With Redesigned Bus Networks — Streetsblog USA (Houston and Seattle comparison) Story 2: Crisis intervention pilot CTA deploying violence interrupters, mental health clinicians on trains this fall — Chicago Sun-Times CTA Board Approves Slate of Social Service Outreach Efforts Focused on Violence Intervention, Homelessness — WTTW News Homelessness: A Guide for Public Transportation — National Academies Press (BART, SEPTA, MARTA program details) MTA Keeps Cops At Fore Of Homeless Response As Other Transit Systems Embrace Social Services — Patch (LA Metro and NYC MTA comparison) Story 3: Northern Illinois Transit Authority transition CTA Board Approves Slate of Social Service Outreach Efforts Focused on Violence Intervention, Homelessness — WTTW News

  3. Aug 25

    Eyes on Board: Mapping Harassment to Reclaim Transit

    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==

  4. Aug 18 ·  Bonus

    Transportopia News and Views: Congress Lets $38B in Transportation Funding Lapse — Transit on the Edge

    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 Stopgap bill lets $38.6B in transportation funding lapse - https://www.axios.com/2026/08/08/senate-government-funding-shutdown-stopgap    also: https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/06/us-senate-stopgap-fails-to-renew-more-than-38b-a-year-in-state-transportation-funding/ Democrats accuse FTA/OMB of stonewalling transit grants - https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4248 also the letter: https://larsen.house.gov/UploadedFiles/2026-08-11_LTR_to_Admin_on_CIG_Grants_Oversight_FINAL.pdf Duffy's bike lane push, and the data against it - https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/07/17/trump-dei-bike-lanes-sean-duffy-fhwa-road-diets-speed-cameras    also: https://www.fastcompany.com/91581060/dei-bike-lanes Kansas City waters down its streetcar tracks - https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/08/12/kc-streetcar-water-trucks-extreme-heat World Pedestrian Day - global road safety data - https://www.who.int/news/item/20-07-2026-road-deaths-fall-by-21--globally-but-stronger-action-is-needed-to-save-lives    ITDP Atlas of Sustainable City Transport - https://itdp.org/publication/walkability-tool/ Indigo Rosenberg's new Eyes on Board piece  https://sf.streetsblog.org/2026/08/12/guest-post-documenting-harassment-on-public-transit

  5. Aug 11

    Metroboard: The Moving Subway Map Turning Transit into Wall Art

    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

  6. Aug 5 ·  Bonus

    News and Views - Aug. 4, 2026: FTA's Surprise Pivot: Hybrids Win the Bus Grant Battle

    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: 1. FTA bus grant NOFO - https://www.masstransitmag.com/bus/vehicles/news/55394325/federal-transit-administration-fta-fta-issues-nofo-for-610-million-in-bus-grant-funding Sacramento BRT to airport - https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/article/55394625/sacramento-regional-transit-sacrt-sacrt-receives-funding-to-examine-brt-alternative-to-sacramento-international-airport    also (national BRT-over-rail trend): https://www.constructiondive.com/news/transit-projects-opening-2026/809814/ Transit agencies as housing partners - https://www.metro-magazine.com/digital-cover-features/what-transit-oriented-development-means-for-the-future-of-public-transportation Oklahoma City transit sales tax - https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/08/03/oklahoma-city-is-taking-transit-seriously-which-is-what-booming-regions-should-do Subway newsstand (Al Mullen) - https://gothamist.com/news/just-a-pure-weird-moment-art-project-takes-over-manhattan-subway-kiosk also: https://www.amny.com/news/artists-repens-west-4-st-subway-newsstand/ Next week's episode features the founders of Design Rules Company, the creative geniuses behind the Metroboard subway wall art - https://www.designrules.co/

  7. Jul 28

    Eyes on Board — Riders Fight Back Against Transit Harassment

    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 Ren Zaro Fitzgerald on Instagram - https://instagram.com/renzaro Ren Zaro Fitzgerald on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Renzarofitzgerald

  8. Jul 22 ·  Bonus

    News and Views July 21, 2026: World Cup Drives Transit Boom: Record Ridership and Federal Backing

    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 Vox, "The most surprising winner of the World Cup was American public transit" — https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/495394/world-cup-public-transit Story Two — Seattle Sound Transit newsroom — https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/sound-transit-set-all-time-records-daily-monthly-ridership KOMO News — https://komonews.com/news/local/how-many-people-rode-the-light-rail-during-the-world-cup-sound-transit-world-cup-ridership-public-transit-king-county-seattle-sounder-train-lumen-field-stadium-station Story Three — BART CBS News San Francisco — https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/bart-june-2026-post-pandemic-ridership-records-world-cup-sf-pride/ NBC Bay Area — https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/bart-highest-ridership-month-since-pandemic/4115323/ Story Four — The $100M in federal grants Federal Transit Administration — https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/news/trumps-transportation-secretary-announces-100-million-funding-enhance-public Story Five — The BUILD Act cut Urban Institute — https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-will-congresss-proposed-cuts-transit-funding-affect-your-state-and-congressional

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A new podcast and blog about public transportation trends, ideas, challenges and the future hosted by public transit veteran and former broadcast journalist Rick L'Amie. Visit the blog at transportopia.org.

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