Transport – August 5

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Many more articles are available through the Energy Bulletin homepage

Will fares go so high that only the rich can fly?
Gary Stoller, USA TODAY
Deregulation of the airline industry 30 years ago made air travel affordable to most Americans. Rising airfares threaten to again make flying a service for the affluent.

Airfares have risen this summer more than any year in the past quarter century, new studies by airfare experts show. The studies, done by Travelocity, FareCompare.com and Harrell Associates at USA TODAY’s request, show that domestic fares this summer are up 12% to 15%, and on some routes, more than 200%.
(4 August 2008)

Funds for highways plummet as drivers cut gasoline use
Christopher Conkey, Wall Street Journal
An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation’s aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices. The resulting financial strain is touching off a political battle over government priorities in a new era of expensive oil.

A report to be released Monday by the Transportation Department shows that over the past seven months, Americans have reduced their driving by more than 40 billion miles. Because of high gasoline prices, they drove 3.7% fewer miles in May than they did a year earlier, the report says, more than double the 1.8% drop-off seen in April.
(28 July 2008)

Interviews with Paul Scott, founder and board member of Plug In America (video)
Marc Strassman, Etopia News
Paul Scott, founder and board member of Plug In America, talks about transitioning to electric cars fueled from a renewably-sourced electric grid. Seven-part series.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Rooftop photons to inverter to RAV4
Vectrix electric motorcycle
Petrolcide t-shirt
(August 2008)