Latest U.S. Department of Transportation News

Tesla shouldn't call driving system Autopilot because humans are still in control, Buttigieg says

May. 11, 2023 15:22 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tesla shouldn’t be calling its partially automated driving system Autopilot because the cars can’t drive themselves, the top U.S. transportation official says. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he’s concerned about Tesla’s marketing of the...

US to propose new rules for airline cancellations, delays

May. 08, 2023 17:14 PM EDT

President Joe Biden said Monday his administration will write new regulations that will require airlines to compensate air travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline's control. The compensation would be in addition to ticket...

Twitter alerts back on track for NYC subway after week off

May. 04, 2023 19:04 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Service alerts for New York City's subway, commuter trains and buses were back on Twitter on Thursday, a week after transit officials balked at paying to provide the information. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority lost access last week to Twitter’s...

US says it will allow more flights by Chinese airlines

May. 04, 2023 13:48 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will let Chinese airlines add more flights to the U.S. to match the number of flights that China allows U.S. airlines to fly between the two nations. The Transportation Department said it will let Chinese airlines increase from eight to...

New reversal by Twitter after move sparked MTA withdrawal

May. 03, 2023 02:49 AM EDT

In an about-face, Twitter says it has restored free access to a key tool for verified government and “publicly owned” services so they can tweet weather, transit and other alerts after New York City's transit agency said earlier this week it would no longer use the platform for its service...

NYC transit agency pulls the brake on Twitter service alerts

Apr. 29, 2023 10:21 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Shortly after midnight Thursday, several New York City subway trains slowed to a crawl as emergency crews tended to a person discovered on the tracks in Manhattan. The delays were flagged for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s rail control center, where a...

New report blames airlines for most flight cancellations

Apr. 28, 2023 17:47 PM EDT

Congressional investigators said in a report Friday that an increase in flight cancellations as travel recovered from the pandemic was due mostly to factors that airlines controlled, including cancellations for maintenance issues or lack of a crew. The Government Accountability...

Containers secured to shore after Wisconsin train derailment

Apr. 28, 2023 16:48 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Crews have secured two container cars that began floating away in the Mississippi River after a freight train derailed in southwestern Wisconsin, officials said Friday. Thursday's derailment in Crawford County involved two of the train’s three locomotives...

Train derails in Wisconsin, sends 2 cars into river

Apr. 27, 2023 19:09 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A freight train derailed along the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin Thursday, possibly injuring one crew member and sending two cars into the water, officials said. The train derailed in Crawford County at about 12:15 p.m. Two of the train’s three...

Railroad workers rescue 3-year-old from tracks in New York

Apr. 27, 2023 17:26 PM EDT

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — A railroad conductor in New York sprinted to scoop up a 3-year-old boy who had wandered dangerously close to the electrified third rail, officials said this week. Engineer William Kennedy, who was operating a southbound train April 6, was the first to spot...