In other transportation news, Mayor Steve Adler has been busy lately, advocating for Austin in the US Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. Austin is currently one of seven finalists. The winner will receive $50 million to leverage technology in building out a better transportation system. As the Austin American-Statesman reports, Austin’s competition application lays out a plan that looks into installing traffic signals that auto adjust in varying weather or traffic conditions, converting city vehicles and taxis to electric cars, developing a driverless shuttle bus at the airport, and creating a mobility pass that Austinites could use on everything from Cap Metro buses to B-cycle bikes. The winner of the challenge will be announced in June.

At a press conference earlier this week, Adler promised that whether or not Austin wins the challenge, the city will move ahead with the technological transformation of our transportation system. “We can, and because we can, we must. And because we must, we will. I want the Smart City Challenge to be a ladder of opportunity into the middle class,” Adler said, equating a more efficient and comprehensive transportation system with a more equitable one.