In an exciting announcement, New York’s MTA is working on new, streamlined developments for its bus line.

At first sight, it looks like an ordinary bus. The difference is only noticed when it comes nearer and one hears no sound, and doesn´t see the usual black smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Latin America´s first hydrogen powered public transport bus took the streets of São Paulo on July 1st. The project has been under development since 2004 and is the result of different partnerships, including with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNDP Brazil.
The hydrogen bus will be tested during two months before being incorporated into the regular fleet. The goal is to have 4 hydrogen buses [...]

Douglass Rushkoff at Boing Boing reports that the MTA buses in New York are replacing their flat, touch-sensitive strips with the more physically interactive pull cords as the new way to signal the driver to stop.
[via Boing Boing]

The MTA is the nation’s largest public transportation agency, serving an estimated 8.5 million people daily, making it an integral part of life for a diverse group of riders from every imaginable socio-economic background. This reality creates an interesting dynamic between commuters who share proximity while waiting at the same bus stop or standing at the same spot on the subway platform at the same time every day. They may not know one another exactly, but a connection exists beyond the level of stranger, regardless of whether smiles, waves or head nods are exchanged.
Miranda Purves began to realize these unique relationships [...]