Astana Signs Memorandum to Develop Autonomous Taxi Service

The Kazakh capital plans to launch an autonomous taxi service. A memorandum of cooperation on the development of autonomous taxi services was signed in the Kazakh capital on Dec. 29 between the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, the Ministry of Transport, the Astana city administration, and Yandex Qazaqstan, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry reported.

The memorandum provides for a phased approach to preparing the autonomous taxi project, covering regulatory and technological groundwork as well as pilot launches. Implementation is scheduled for 2026 and will be carried out in close cooperation with government agencies and municipal services.

According to Gizzat Baitursynov, chairman of the Committee for Digital Assets and Breakthrough Technologies, it is essential to address safety, liability, and human–algorithm interaction issues in advance, and to develop a regulatory framework that enables such solutions to evolve legally and transparently.

Source: Astana Times

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Morocco Signals Path Forward for Ride-Hailing Apps, Taxi Sector Reform

Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit has shed new light on the long-standing controversy in Morocco between traditional taxi services and ride-hailing apps, hinting that digital-based transportation services are no longer avoidable in the move towards a new transportation system in the country.

Speaking during the weekly oral questions session in the House of Representatives, Laftit stressed that Morocco will have transport applications, noting that “ we cannot fail to keep up with the times,” a statement widely interpreted as confirmation that ride-hailing apps are moving toward legalization.

For several years, Morocco has been faced with a dilemma between traditional taxi services and ride-hailing services.

Platforms such as Uber had started offering their services in major cities in the country. However, this was followed by protests from taxi operators, as well as the lack of a clear framework for their operation, leading to the shutdown of their services in 2018.

Since this time, the phenomenon of ride-hailing services has remained in Morocco in a legal gray zone, and without legal recognition, widely used by citizens but officially unrecognized by authorities.

This situation has left passengers without clear protections and drivers without legal status. At present, there are approximately 77,200 taxis nationwide, ranging from small to large taxis, with the number of taxi drivers estimated at about 180,000.

Source: Morocco World News

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Where Are Las Vegas Taxi Drivers a Decade after Uber and Lyft Shocked the Industry?

In 1992, Mike Bailin was 29 years old working four jobs — busboy, cleaner at a gym, paper deliveryman and print shop assistant — while barely making ends meet. Then, he saw an ad in the classified section of the newspaper for a taxi driver job. “It changed our whole life,” Bailin said, whose wife and four kids all went on to get advanced degrees. “I was supporting a family of six on what I was making as a cab driver.” Today, Bailin, general manager for Yellow Checker Star Transportation, says his story is not as common. He said many of his drivers are part-time workers. Some might be working more hours to make up for lost revenue. 

Since rideshares were introduced to Las Vegas in 2014, the taxicab industry in the city has lost its power to companies such as Lyft and Uber and cab rides have been cut in half. Economists say the decline is due to an overregulated industry that was unable to pivot when met with a newer, more nimble outside competitor. Despite setbacks, cab drivers say they’ve managed to adjust in the face of a changing transportation landscape. Some of them are worried about what’s next — declining tourism and autonomous vehicles. Judd Cramer, a lecturer at Harvard University who has studied the effects of rideshare on cities, said companies such as Uber and Lyft were not bound by the rules that taxis had to follow. “Uber and Lyft just came in and sidestepped the regulations,” Cramer said in an interview. Uber and Lyft were not legal at first, but Cramer said this was not a deterrent. “The theory was, ‘We can offer such a good product to the consumer that even if it’s illegal, they’re going to lobby for these things to be legal,’” Cramer said. “Also, it will make a lot of money.” 

On the other hand, taxi vehicles and companies were strictly regulated. Due to the violent “taxi wars” of the 1960s, Las Vegas established the Nevada Taxicab Authority (TCA) in 1969. The authority was seen as a necessary governing body to curb infighting among cab companies and drivers, car burnings, violence, poorly maintained cars and uninsured vehicles. According to Bailin, it was an attempt to ensure that “everyone’s playing by the same rules.” 

Uber unofficially launched in Vegas in October 2014 but was subsequently shut down a month later from operating in the city by a court injunction. Thousands of people signed a petition to lift the order, with a letter urging then Gov. Brian Sandoval to allow Uber to operate in Nevada.

Source: The Nevada Independent

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