Ground Transport

Major car rental companies have implemented rate hikes over the last year. That may be a contributing factor in leisure travelers growing unease with their heretofore favorite big brands.

Using apps to crowdsource congressional complaints is a clever idea, especially when frustrated and bored travelers are your target user. The challenge will be raising awareness of the app and the cause in order to build enough volume.

FedEx is too big to worry about pesky Uber nipping at its heels in the same-day delivery business. Still FedEx CEO Frederick Smith could be downplaying Uber's potential for diversifying beyond its core people-transportation business.

Greyhound had to go outside its brand to find out what today's travelers want and is now incorporating those learnings nation-wide in a customer experience overhaul.

It's a lofty, but necessary ambition that will take several years to put in place at Amtrak's speed. Faster Wi-Fi and high-speed service are features that riders will be pining after for the foreseeable future despite rail's discussions.

Uber is growing fast and making money, but $17 billion is bubble talk.

Tunnel Vision is a great example of a tool that is able to enrich and inform the travel experience with the access to open data. It will be projects like this that encourage private and public parties to release data for the greater good.

Although many Americans would scoff at the idea of taking a train instead of a plane on vacation, rail travel is making a comeback both for its views and the unique experience it provides travelers. Amtrak might now make its name as the digital detox of transportation.

Zipcar accounted for only about 3.6% of Avis Budget Group's revenue in the first quarter of 2014, but Zipcar is growing and the proverbial synergies appear to be kicking in.

Hailo and Uber saw an easy opportunity to pick up new riders during the strike. Neither of them tweeted if they were involved in surge pricing, though.