American transportation policy will soon veer sharply to the right. The Trump administration has made no secret of its intent to build more highways, stifle electric vehicle adoption, and scrap safeguards around self-driving cars.

A goal nowhere on its agenda: Encouraging more Americans to leave their cars at home and instead travel by transit, bicycle, or on foot.

That is a marked change from the Biden administration, which championed initiatives like upgrading buses, improving street safety, and even subsidizing e-bike storage. In contrast, Project 2025, which has become Trump’s policy playbook, calls for terminating federal support for biking and walking and derides transit investments as “throwing good money after bad.”

Despite the sudden pivot in Washington, millions of Americans still want to drive less, which would reduce emissions, free up street space, and save some of the 40,000-plus lives lost annually in crashes. With incoming federal leaders viewing that goal with disinterest if not disdain, advocates must look toward lower levels of government for any meaningful reforms.

Happily, they’ll find no shortage of options. State and local governments have myriad opportunities to shift trips away from cars that won’t break their budgets and—crucially—don’t rely on the feds lifting a finger.

Start with publictransit, Americans’ most popular non-car mode, and one that has historically received federal funding to launch new services. Although Congress has already allocated tens of billions of dollars toward new transit investments, Trump officials at the Department of Transportation could drag their feet approving projects. They may also try to kill congestion pricing in Manhattan, which is generating urgently needed capital for New York City’s transit network, and block other cities from adopting similar measures.

Although Trump poses a real threat to transit expansions, the federal government plays only a marginal role in the regular operations of buses and trains, which are financed through state and local funding along with farebox revenue. There are plenty of ways for local communities to improve daily service, particularly for buses.

Consider the regional bus networks that dictate where and how often vehicles run. Many route maps were conceived decades ago, and evolving residential and employment patterns have eroded their utility. By refreshing them, transit agencies can provide passengers with more useful service without necessarily adding vehicles or operators. The benefits can be substantial: In 2015, Houston’s first bus route redesign

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