Google is funding bus passes for more than 30,000 low- and moderate-income youth in San Francisco. This announcement is seen by many as a first step toward greater civic engagement by Silicon Valley tech giants, and city government thinks it is a good first step for partnering with the tech industry more generally.
Reaction to iPhone announcement points to popularity of transit apps
Apple’s new iPhone operating system does not feature a native transit mapping app, and that has many potential users and transportation advocates concerned. A grassroots campaign has been launched to ask Apple to include transit directions. At the same time, Google Maps announced it was adding real-time transit arrival times for six cities.
Google technology transforming transit use
Google’s technology has made using transit easier for both new and veteran riders, as well as sparking development of third party apps. The familiarity of Google Maps has made use of the transit application an easy transition for many users, even when visiting new cities.
Google lobbies Nevada to allow self-driving cars.
Google has been testing cars that drive themselves, known as autonomous vehicles, and is now looking for a state that will allow them on the roads. Legislation to allow them has been introduced in Nevada …