Image: GBTA

New research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), underscores the massive economic footprint of business travel across the United States. According to the June 2026 study, business travel spending reached $538.5 billion in 2024, ultimately generating $623.8 billion in total U.S. GDP (2.1% of the national total).

Key Takeaways for Transit & Infrastructure:

• Domestic travelers logged 487.8 million business trips in 2024, placing immense demand and opportunity for local mobility services.
• The sector supports 6.7 million American jobs—meaning 1 in every 24 U.S. jobs is linked to business travel activity.
• However, employment growth (3.9% from 2023-2024) has lagged spending gains (7.5% from 2023-2024), which reflects tighter labor markets, productivity gains, and evolving service delivery models.

The study emphasizes that even a marginal 1% increase in business travel spending ripples outward to generate an additional 66,800 jobs and $6.2 billion in GDP.

Source: GBTA

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Image: ITNAmerica

Every day, millions of older Americans are stranded without transportation, while countless people who would gladly help remain unaware of their need. America’s Volunteer Driver Center (AVDC) is a national public information campaign launched by ITNAmerica to bridge this gap by recruiting volunteer drivers and introducing them to local nonprofit transportation providers serving older adults and people with mobility challenges.

Across the country, nonprofit transportation providers rely on volunteer drivers to help people access healthcare, groceries, pharmacies, social activities, and other essential destinations. Yet many organizations report difficulty recruiting enough volunteers to meet growing demand. AVDC seeks to change the way Americans think about and support nonprofit community-based transportation. Through a coordinated national public information campaign, AVDC is working to recruit 150,000 volunteer drivers and 1,000 nonprofit and government-affiliated transportation providers nationwide.

Volunteer transportation is one of the most effective ways communities can help older adults and people with mobility challenges remain mobile, independent, and connected. Whether helping someone get to a medical appointment, pick up groceries, or participate in community life, volunteer drivers make a meaningful difference every day. America’s Volunteer Driver Center is to volunteer driver recruitment what the Red Cross is to blood donation.

For additional information about the campaign, visit: Americas Volunteer Driver Center.

‘This Affects Our Income’: Uber, Lyft Drivers Oppose Proposed Rule Requiring More of Them to Use EVs

A proposed Massachusetts mandate for rideshare companies that rent or lease vehicles to drivers to only provide electric vehicles faces strong pushback from drivers. Members of the newly formed App Drivers Union argue the rule threatens their earnings due to public charging shortages and inconvenience. The organization is urging the state to halt the mandate until a union contract is negotiated.

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Uber, Trial Lawyers Pull Costly Ballot Measures

Uber and the Consumer Attorneys of California have reached a deal to withdraw their competing, high-stakes November ballot initiatives. Uber's measure aimed to cap attorney fees in car crash cases, while the trial lawyers sought to expand rideshare app company’s liability for driver sexual misconduct or other crimes. Under the compromise, Uber will implement stricter safety measures, while attorneys will limit certain medical victim claims.

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Spokane Transit Authority Partners with Direct Medical Transportation for New Mobility On-Demand Pilot

The new mobility-on-demand pilot program called STA Link will launch this fall. The service will offer flexible, shared rides via a mobile app or call center, providing curbside pickup to connect riders to the broader transit network or curb-to-curb travel within designated, underserved zones.

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Councillor Experiences Accessible Nightmare

Waterloo Regional Councillor Chantal Huinink recently faced a nightmarish three-hour wait for an accessible taxi in Mississauga, highlighting massive gaps in Ontario’s accessible transportation system. Huinink is using her platform as a politician to advocate for equitable transit, pointing out that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act lacks consistent enforcement.

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Gas Prices and New Incentives Sparking More EV Sales

Driven by renewed federal rebate programs and soaring fuel prices, Canadian electric vehicle sales surged over 20% in the first four months of 2026 as compared to the previous year.

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Potential strike Averted as Metro Vancouver Transit Drivers Reach Tentative Deal

Vancouver’s transit operator and the union that represents the drivers have reached a tentative contract agreement, narrowly avoiding a major transit strike. In May, workers nearly unanimously authorized a strike after months of bargaining. While specific terms remain confidential until ratification, the deal reportedly addresses wages, benefits, and working conditions.

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Taxi vs. Platform Giants: EU Intervenes in the Black-Box Algorithms of Uber & Co.

The European Union's new directive on platform work, which will take effect by the end of this year, seeks to reset the balance between workers and app-based ride-hailing and delivery firms. The new mandate requires platforms to make their decision-making more transparent and reverses the burden of proof regarding employment status, making it less likely that the workers will be designated as independent contractors.

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Bilbao Intensifies Taxi and VTC Vehicle Checks

Bilbao's Municipal Police launched a weeklong campaign targeting taxis and for-hire for mobile inspections. The agency will use mobile checkpoints to conduct inspections, seatbelt checks, breathalyzer tests and verify driver credentials.

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Regula Helps Uber Build a Nationwide Driver Verification Network in Poland

Uber partnered with Regula, an identity verification company, to deploy advanced driver verification technologies across Poland. The initiative uses stationary workstations and mobile document readers to establish standardized cross-checks and forgery detection.

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Dubai Taxi Company Eyes Ajman Expansion Through Bolt Partnership

The Dubai Taxi Company has launched a collaboration to evaluate integrating e-hailing platforms like Bolt into the local taxi ecosystem, optimizing fleet efficiency, and upgrading the limousine sector. This scalable framework aims to meet rising transit demands and could serve as a model for expansion across other emirates.

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Yandex Go Launches in Istanbul

Yandex Go has expanded its ride-hailing services to Istanbul, marking its sixth city operation in Türkiye. Partnering with licensed taxi drivers, the platform utilizes AI-driven route optimization and dispatch systems to reduce waiting times and empty mileage.

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Rising Taxes Squeeze Kabul Taxi Drivers as Quarterly Payments to the Taliban Continue

Kabul’s taxi drivers face severe financial pressure from rising taxes, mandatory quarterly payments, and licensing fees imposed by Taliban-controlled departments. Along with other costs, including rising fuel prices and bribes paid to government employees also increasing, many drivers growing difficulty covering basic expenses.

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Image: Gov.UK

The UK government is inviting the public to help shape the safety principles that will govern self-driving vehicles on Britain’s roads. 

The draft statement of safety principles outlines 10 requirements that autonomous vehicles would be expected to meet before they can be authorised for deployment. 

A public consultation has now been launched on the proposals, seeking feedback from organisations representing road users, road safety groups and self-driving vehicle businesses before the principles are laid before Parliament for approval next year.

Among the 10 draft principles is a requirement for self-driving vehicles to follow the Highway Code and maintain control at all times. They must also be able to “predict, detect and respond” to hazards, behave in a predictable manner and adapt to changing weather and road conditions. 

The draft measures further state that autonomous vehicles should be “considerate” around vulnerable road users including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and interact safely with emergency services.

Running until September 2026, the consultation enables respondents to state whether they agree or disagree with each of the proposed measures and invites suggestions for amendments.

Source: Zag Daily

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