COLUMBUS, Ohio — The City of Columbus, recent winner of the federal Smart City Challenge, "plans to leap-frog fixed rail” by using new modes of transportation, according to the city's U.S. Department of Transportation application.

Driverless cars are the marquee emblem of the city’s plans, but it will use and test other potential improvements to its bus fleet and on commercial vehicles.

The city’s application said its bus-based mass transit system, operated by the Central Ohio Transit Authority, can “demonstrate emerging mobility solutions at a lower cost and with greater flexibility than a fixed-rail infrastructure. Many mid-sized cities cannot afford light rail, or the feasibility of deploying such a system is limited." For the full story, click here.