Image: KIA

Kia’s latest wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) offering could provide taxi operators in some parts of the UK with a new electric option as the industry continues its transition towards lower-emission fleets while maintaining accessibility standards.

The manufacturer recently showcased its new PV5 WAV Side Entry model at the Motability Scheme Live exhibition in Birmingham, introducing an electric vehicle designed around the needs of wheelchair users, community transport providers and passenger transport operators. While Kia has yet to confirm UK market availability, the vehicle’s arrival prompts questions about whether it could also find a place within taxi fleets operating beyond the country’s largest urban centres.

Unlike traditional rear-entry WAV designs, the PV5 WAV Side Entry features a side-loading wheelchair configuration that enables passengers to board directly from the pavement. The design is aimed at urban mobility use cases, including taxi services, shuttle operations and private transport. For wheelchair users, side-entry access can offer greater convenience and improved safety by avoiding the need to enter or exit from the road.

The vehicle has been developed under Kia’s ‘Made-In-Plant’ conversion programme, allowing accessible variants to be built either directly within the manufacturer’s production facilities or through a dedicated conversion centre. The approach is intended to deliver greater production consistency and potentially improve supply for European markets where demand for accessible vehicles continues to grow.

For taxi drivers, particularly those working in towns and cities where fully-accessible vehicle requirements are becoming more common, the PV5 could offer an alternative to the limited number of electric WAVs currently available. Many licensing authorities have increased expectations around accessibility while also encouraging the move towards zero-emission vehicles, creating a challenge for operators seeking vehicles that satisfy both objectives.

Source: TaxiPoint News

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Image: Leah Willingham 

Drivers for ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft celebrated Tuesday after Massachusetts became the first state to recognize their union, a milestone in the growing effort to organize gig-economy workers classified as independent contractors under federal labor law.

The victory could provide a model for similar campaigns gaining traction in states including California and Illinois, where labor organizers are increasingly targeting app-based industries as drivers also grapple with the rapid expansion of self-driving technology.

As drivers waved signs and chanted with the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House providing a backdrop, labor leaders described Friday’s certification as the largest private-sector organizing win since Ford autoworkers unionized in 1941.

Jean Fredo, who has driven for Uber for more than seven years, said he hopes the union will bring better pay, stronger protections against sudden deactivations and more stability for drivers.

Uber and Lyft said they planned to work with the new bargaining framework as negotiations move forward. Uber said it would work with the union and regulators while preserving “driver flexibility and hard-won benefits,” while Lyft said it was committed to “engaging in good faith” and “helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it.”

The certification became possible after the state’s voters approved a 2024 ballot measure creating a first-in-the-nation framework allowing ride-hailing drivers to unionize and bargain collectively while remaining independent contractors — a model some business groups and legal scholars argue could face antitrust challenges under federal law. Organizers say the union will ultimately represent nearly 70,000 drivers statewide.

Source: AP News

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Lifts Off in Electric Air Taxi

“This is not the Jetsons,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a new video capturing his flight on Beta Technologies’ Alia eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft. “This is actual real life.” Duffy on Friday became the first transportation secretary to fly in an eVTOL aircraft, the Transportation Department said Monday.

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Chicago Plans $19.2 Million Purchase of Greyhound Station to Save Bus Service

Chicago is moving to buy the city’s Greyhound bus station, a major step toward preserving the station after more than a year of uncertainty over the future of intercity bus service Downtown. Mayor Brandon Johnson submitted an ordinance last week authorizing City Council to buy the bus station at 630 W. Harrison St. for $19.2 million, according to city documents. The move comes as officials also expanded the boundaries of the Canal/Congress Tax Increment Financing district to include the terminal, which would allow TIF dollars to support the purchase and future improvements to the station.

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Tesla Just Got a Big Texas Advantage for Its Driverless Taxi Rollout

This past week, Tesla investor James Stephenson noticed that the brand was now listed in the Texas Motor Carrier Credentialing System as an automated vehicle operator. In the filing, Tesla included 42 Model Ys, which were approved the same day Texas updated its autonomous driving law. In effect, it seems Tesla has taken this chance offered by the law to self-certify its vehicles. Under the new law, companies like Tesla that offer SAE Level 4 or higher autonomous cars are now legally allowed to offer people commercial driverless transportation across the state of Texas.

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Ottawa, Quebec Reach Deal on Public Transit Funding

After years of difficult negotiations, Ottawa and Quebec have reached an agreement on how new federal public transit investments will be allocated, according to Radio-Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette are expected to announce the deal in Longueuil, Que., on Tuesday. Radio-Canada has learned the agreement with Quebec could be worth nearly $6 billion. It would cover all funding available to Quebec under the Canada Public Transit Fund.

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Saskatoon Cab Driver Calls for Change after Getting Shot in Face with Pellet Gun

A Saskatoon taxi driver says he fears for his safety after he was shot in the face with a pellet gun during a dispute over fare payment. The father of three, who agreed to speak to CBC on the condition that he not be identified due to safety concerns, said he wants a system in place where cab fares must be paid in advance. The man, who has been driving cabs in Saskatoon intermittently for about four years, said prepayment could have prevented the confrontation that left him with a pellet in his face and lingering fear on the job.

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These Polite Canadian Lawbreakers May Soon Be Going Legal under New E-Bike Law

The issue of e-bike scofflaws has grown considerably over the last few years, normally taking the form of teenagers on fast e-bikes illegally cruising down sidewalks or recklessly riding through intersections. But as it turns out, Canada’s largest province is full of e-bike scofflaws of a different variety: parents simply wanting to bring their kids to school without using a car.

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Are BEVs the Cure to France’s Ailing New-Car Market?

With a positive registration result in May, the new-car market in France is seemingly regaining some of its confidence. According to the PFA and AAA Data, 128,484 new cars took to the country’s roads, a year-on-year increase of 3.7%. This was the second month of 2026 to see improvement, following a minimal loss in April.

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European Micromobility Market Hits $70 Billion, McKinsey Finds

According to McKinsey’s updated projections, the market is now expected to grow to between $100bn and $120bn by 2030. However, Scurtu said the pace of growth is beginning to normalise compared with the steep post-pandemic rise seen earlier in the decade.

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WeRide and Uber to Launch Spain’s First Robotaxis

Chinese company WeRide will supply the robotaxi, AVOMO will manage the fleet and rides will be available on the Uber app. The service will begin with trained safety operators behind the wheel and is expected to launch later this year.

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Van, Taxi Operators Call for Fuel Subsidy As Prices Rise

Drivers of taxis and omnibuses in St. Vincent have called attention to economic hardship caused by increased gasoline and diesel prices recently. The two major forms of petroleum are up significantly, so many are calling on the Government of St. Vincent to subsidize the cost of gasoline and diesel, thereby enabling them to continue operating without placing a greater burden on consumers using their services.

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Taxi Feud Sows Confusion at Mexico City Airport As World Cup Looms

Uber driver Antonio Palacios was almost on his way after picking up a passenger at Mexico City International Airport on Sunday afternoon. As he put his car in gear, a National Guardsman pulled him over to the side of the arrivals area of Terminal 2. Mexico’s National Guard sanctions taxi drivers who do not adhere to airport rules, which can include entering the airport when not permitted, though the rules aren’t entirely clear.

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Ethiopia's New Transport Roadmap Could Make It One of Africa's Biggest EV Hubs

Ethiopia has launched a national electric mobility roadmap aimed at transforming its transport sector, reducing emissions, and building a domestic clean-technology industry over the next five years.

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Image: Brandon Bell

Waymo has nearly 600 autonomous vehicles registered in Texas, a figure that far outpaces emerging competitors Avride, Nuro, Tesla, and Zoox, according to data available in a new website launched by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

The automated vehicle tracker tool — part of a new law that requires AV companies to register with the DMV — gives the public the first accurate and easy-to-access accounting of how many autonomous vehicles are in Texas. The state law, which went into effect May 28, requires companies testing or deploying AVs in the state to share how many vehicles are in their fleets as well as other safety information.

It also shows just how wide the gap is between Waymo and rival Tesla — two companies offering commercial robotaxi services.

Alphabet-owned Waymo has registered 577 autonomous vehicles in Texas, followed by Avride with 317, and Nuro with 47. Tesla, which launched a robotaxi service in Austin last summer and has since said it has expanded to Dallas and Houston, has registered 42 autonomous vehicles. Other companies with registered autonomous vehicles in the state include Volkswagen subsidiary MOIA, which has a fleet of 12 electric, autonomous microbuses.

The size of an autonomous-vehicle fleet only reveals so much about where a company stands on the leaderboard. Many of these companies — Nuro and Zoox, for instance — are not operating commercially.

Source: Tech Crunch

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