Image: Wheely

High-end taxi company Wheely whisks its celebrity and business clientele around in unmarked vehicles and makes its drivers sign nondisclosure agreements. But in New York, there is a big hole in its plan for complete discretion: a city requirement that hired vehicles provide detailed data on where they drive customers.

The company entered the New York market in March but is now locked in a legal battle over a longstanding city requirement that all for-hire vehicles submit monthly records of every trip, including the time and location of every pickup and drop-off, as well as the driver identification and vehicle license number. Wheely argues that this amounts to a widespread system of state surveillance, affecting millions of riders each year.

“We believe that riders have the right to travel in their city without their movements being tracked by the government,” Wheely founder and Chief Executive Anton Chirkunov said in an interview.

The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, which collects the taxi data, says the rule is necessary for drivers’ safety to ensure they aren’t traveling unreasonably long distances in a day, which can lead to fatigue and accidents.

“Our longstanding data provision rules are vital to driver and passenger safety, corporate accountability, and our ability to make informed decisions as we regulate the largest industry of its kind in the United States,” TLC spokesman Jason Kersten said.

Source: WSJ

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Image: Tripy

Turkish shared mobility operator Tripy has announced plans to bring robotaxis to Türkiye, with Ankara as a potential starting point for testing. Tripy is known predominantly for its micromobility operations, running a fleet of 7,200 shared e-bikes across Turkey and Azerbaijan. Now, the company is taking its first move with autonomous vehicles with plans to begin testing Level 4 robotaxis on Turkish roads as early as this year, subject to approvals.

“The launch of this process will depend on the completion of the necessary testing permissions from the relevant authorities and it is currently targeted to begin between the end of 2026 and sometime in 2027,” Tripy CEO Dr. Ali Onuralp Ünal told Zag Daily.

Tripy’s robotaxi has been developed on the Maxus Mifa 7 electric vehicle platform and modified with Level 4 autonomous driving technology from Chinese firm CalmCar.

The operator reports more than 100,000 hours of robotaxi road testing logged in China, with Tripy now planning to bring the vehicles to its home nation of Türkiye. 

When asked why Tripy chose to test its robotaxis abroad, Dr. Ünal said that testing in China represents a “critical advantage” for the company, arguing that a market with more mature AV technology and policy puts robotaxis to a greater test than if they had been tested from the start in Türkiye.

Source: Zag Daily

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Why Rural Roads Account for 40% of U.S. Traffic Fatalities

Many drivers assume congested city streets are more dangerous than rural roads, but research suggests otherwise. According to Nationwide’s 2024 Driving Behaviors Survey, fewer than 5% of respondents believe rural roads present the greatest risk. However, federal traffic data tells a different story.

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NYC Yellow Cabs Join Lyft’s Platform

The US ride-hailing company has integrated Curb’s network of licensed taxi drivers onto its platform, meaning users who hail a ride on the Lyft app can now be matched up with a yellow taxi. Curb reports more than 100,000 drivers on its platform across 65 cities in the US, UK and Canada.

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Tesla Expands Driverless Robotaxi Service to Orlando

Central Florida is cementing its status as an epicenter for autonomous vehicle technology as Tesla officially rolls out its driverless Robotaxi ride-hailing service in Orlando. Orlando joins a select group of seven cities nationwide—alongside competitors like Waymo—where passengers can call a fully autonomous vehicle directly from a smartphone app.

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Operator Calls for Tougher Rules amid Increase in Cab Companies

The president of ABC Taxi has called on the City of Brandon to introduce stricter regulations for new taxi companies. The current licensing system allows too many operators into the market and threatens the long-term sustainability of the local industry, co-owner Abraham Takie told the Sun.

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Taxi Company Calls for Lunenburg Mayor’s Resignation, Threatens Legal Action Following Licensing Incident

The owner of SaltWind Transportation Services says he’s ceasing operations in Lunenburg, seeking legal advice and calling for the resignation of Mayor Jamie Myra following an incident in the town Thursday. SaltWind owner Simon Gordon told The Chronicle Herald he feels his business was targeted by the town’s bylaw enforcement officer following Gordon’s allegations against the mayor last month that led him to cease operations in Lunenburg.

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Sides Reach Tentative Deal in Metro Vancouver Transit Labour Dispute

Both Coast Mountain Bus and Unifor Locals 111 and 2200 have confirmed that the latest negotiated deal was reached, after union members voted to reject the last proposed agreement in June.

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Joby and Virgin Atlantic Finalize Deal to Bring Electric Air Taxi Service to the UK

Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, and Virgin Atlantic, a premium long-haul UK airline, today signed a definitive agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow, formalizing the partnership the companies first announced in 2025 to bring Joby's air taxi service to the UK.

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Gibraltar Issues First-Ever Fine As Spanish Taxi Drivers Are Caught Working on the Rock after Border Comes Down

A Spanish taxi driver has been hit with Gibraltar’s first-ever fine for working on the Rock without a licence. Civilian Transport Inspectors intercepted him cruising down Devil’s Tower Road on Tuesday, July 21 – one of the first stretches of road drivers reach after crossing the old frontier. He was hit with an on-the-spot charge of £300 (€352) and quickly escorted back across the border to Spain.

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Eve 100 Electric Air Taxi Takes Big Step towards European Approval

Eve Air Mobility has made two strides towards getting its Eve 100 electric air taxi into service worldwide, applying to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to begin validating the aircraft’s Type Certificate while Brazil’s regulator asks industry to comment on updated airworthiness criteria.

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Omio Secures $10M to Accelerate Asia Expansion

Omio has confirmed a $10 million strategic investment from Granite-Integral to speed its push into Japan and strengthen its presence across Southeast Asia. The announcement comes as Asia-Pacific draws rising numbers of international travellers and multimodal itineraries - combining rail, coach, air or ferry - gain traction. 

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Indonesia Eyes Becoming Asia's Hydrogen Hub

Indonesia has a strong opportunity to become Asia’s hub for hydrogen production, trade, and development as low-carbon output grows, infrastructure expands, and regional demand rises, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

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Chinese Man Arrested in Tokyo over Unlicensed Taxi Service to Tourists

A Chinese man has been arrested on suspicion of operating an unlicensed taxi service by leasing vehicles from a chauffeur service company that he effectively managed to non-employees to illegally transport customers, police said. Wang Xiaoyu, 41, is suspected of violating the Road Transportation Act for leasing vehicles in the company's name for commercial use.

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Image: MOIA

MOIA has launched passenger test operations of its autonomous ridepooling service in Hamburg, allowing registered residents to book rides in self-driving ID. Buzz vehicles as part of the ALIKE project.

MOIA has started the next phase of its autonomous mobility program in Hamburg on July 15th. Selected pre-registered residents can now book trips in all-electric autonomous Volkswagen ID. Buzz vehicles through the MOIA app. According to the company’s press materials, the booking option will also be integrated into the hvv app in the coming weeks. The launch marks the first time that autonomous ridepooling services are available to passengers in Hamburg’s urban traffic under the ALIKE pilot project.

The initiative represents the latest development in MOIA’s strategy to commercialize autonomous mobility technology. According to the company, the platform combines autonomy-enabled vehicles, Mobileye’s self-driving technology, a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) software platform, and operational services designed for fleet operators. MOIA states that the operational experience gathered in Hamburg will be used in the continued development of its technology platform for deployment in additional markets.

Beyond Hamburg, MOIA states that it is conducting autonomous mobility activities at locations in Germany, Norway and the United States, where additional passenger pilot operations are being prepared. According to the company, these activities contribute to validating the technology under different operating conditions.

Source: Sustainable Bus

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