Reasons to be Cheerful: The city where free buses changed everything
Tonic for tumultuous times.
Of all the ideas floated by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, one in particular captured the city’s imagination: His plan to make every bus fare-free. For inspiration, he might look to Dunkirk, France, where for more than a decade free buses have been transforming urban life for the better.
The City Where Free Buses Changed Everything
By: Peter Yeung
By: Peter Yeung
New York’s new mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he’ll make every bus free to ride. One French city did just that — and is reaping the rewards.
‘The Right to Wind in Your Hair’
By: Michaela Haas
By: Michaela Haas
In dozens of countries, people unable to cycle themselves are getting a pedal-powered lift that offers fresh air, conversation and connection to community.
Why Reproductive Rights Matter to Everyone
By: Elizabeth Hewitt
By: Elizabeth Hewitt
In our monthly edition of The Spark, we look at how folks just like you are getting involved in the issue of reproductive rights.
97 Ways the World Got Better in 2025
By: RTBC Staff
By: RTBC Staff
Our annual roundup offers a glimpse into how the year behind us changed in positive ways that may surprise you.
The L.A. Fires, One Year On
See what stories caught our attention this week, including a first-person account of a formerly incarcerated firefighter and how fungi could help clean up burn sites.
What We Did — and How We Did It — in 2025
Reasons to be Cheerful’s annual report, designed just for our readers, reflects our recognition that this isn’t just a publication –– it’s a community.
In Case You Missed It
The French City Striving to Stamp Out Sexism
By: Peter Yeung
By: Peter Yeung
From urban design to “gender-sensitive budgeting,” Nantes is systematically creating a better city for women to live in.
The City That Protected Trans People’s Rights in 1975
By: Kate Sosin
By: Kate Sosin
Fifty years ago, Minneapolis passed an anti-discrimination law so forward-thinking that much of the U.S. is still catching up.