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Daily Transportation News Wednesday, October 14, 2026 |
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| Editorial and legal note: This briefing is provided for general information and professional awareness. It summarizes publicly available materials from government agencies, legislatures, transportation providers, companies, research organizations, and news organizations. Inclusion does not constitute IATR endorsement, legal advice, a finding of fact, or a recommendation that any regulator adopt a particular policy. Readers should consult the original source and applicable law before relying on any item for regulatory, procurement, enforcement, or operational decisions. Image credits identify sources and do not constitute permission to reproduce images. | ||
Top Highlight |
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Industry Recognition
Congratulations, Ira Goldstein: The Transportation Alliance Names Black Car Fund Executive Director a 2026 President’s Award Recipient among Other Honorees!
Ira Goldstein, Executive Director of The Black Car Fund, will receive the 2026 TTA President’s Award for his contributions to the association and the passenger transportation industry. Through his leadership at The Black Car Fund, Goldstein helps protect approximately 100,000 drivers across New York through workers’ compensation coverage and additional health and financial benefits. As a TTA board member, he brings thoughtful leadership, industry experience and a strong commitment to the people who keep passenger transportation moving. The other 2026 honorees are Tom Sikkema, founder of Ride YourWay (TTA Advocate of the Year); wheelchair-transportation driver Abe Andrews (TTA Foundation Sigmund “Ziggy” Zilber Award); and, in memoriam, Rick Hewatt, former president of Checker Cab Company, and Geoffrey Riesel, former chairman of Radio Taxis in London (TTA Lifetime Achievement Awards). TTA President Bill Rouse and TTA Foundation President Nick Cambas will help recognize the honorees.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The Black Car Fund is a long-standing, state-established model for delivering workers’ compensation and driver benefits in the for-hire sector. Its approach is increasingly relevant as regulators and policymakers consider portable benefits and protections for app-based and for-hire drivers.
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Event Alert
IATR President Matthew W. Daus to Speak at TTA’s Mobilize 2026October 26–28, 2026 | Anaheim, California | TTA’s 108th Annual Convention & Expo
Matthew W. Daus, President of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR), will be a featured speaker at Mobilize 2026, The Transportation Alliance’s 108th Annual Convention & Expo. According to the published agenda, Matt will participate in four sessions:
Tuesday, October 27 | 9:45–10:45 AM | Regulations: Mobilizing for Fair Regulation & Competition with Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), presenting findings from a report prepared by the University Transportation Research Center (USDOT Region 2) at the City University of New York with the TTA Foundation, followed by a panel discussion.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The sessions connect several current regulatory priorities, including taxi–TNC regulatory parity, insurance affordability, AV oversight and international regulatory approaches, with discussion among regulators and industry stakeholders.
Learn more about Mobilize 2026 → |
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New York City | Driver Benefits & For-Hire Workforce
NYTWA, Uber and Marblegate Jointly Propose Health and Wellness Fund for NYC DriversStatus: Proposal requires State and City action.
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), Uber and Marblegate Capital Corporation, the city’s largest taxi fleet operator and medallion lender, sent a joint letter asking Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani to establish a health and wellness fund for yellow taxi drivers. The fund would be financed by reallocating the $0.50 MTA surcharge that has been collected on yellow-cab trips since 2009. The letter also asks that the new fund, together with the existing state-established Black Car Fund and Livery Fund, provide drivers across the industry with benefits such as short-term disability, paid sick and family leave, life insurance, supplemental vision, dental and hearing care and a first-ever retirement plan for taxi and for-hire drivers.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The proposal brings driver advocates, a major platform and a large fleet operator together on a shared approach to driver benefits, building on existing state-established benefit funds rather than creating a new structure for app-based drivers.
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Los Angeles | Micromobility Permitting
Los Angeles Adopts Updated Fee Schedule for Shared Scooter and E-Bike PermitsStatus: Ordinance adopted on first consideration (15–0); subject to reconsideration under Council rules.
The Los Angeles City Council adopted an ordinance updating the fee schedule for LADOT’s Shared Mobility Device Permit Program. The annual permit fee per company rises from $20,000 to $150,000, while per-trip fees are restructured by district, including $0.32 in standard districts, $0.48 in Mobility Development Districts and $0.20 in equity-focused districts. City budget analysts estimated the new schedule would raise about $2.1 million and recover nearly all of the program’s approximately $2.9 million in costs, compared with about 20% previously. Committee members have also asked staff to study a tiered permit fee that scales with company size for a future update.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The ordinance shows how a city can align micromobility permit fees with program oversight costs while using district-based trip fees to support equity goals.
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Arizona | Connected Vehicles & Road-User Safety
Maricopa County Expands Connected-Vehicle (V2X) Deployment Along Avondale CorridorStatus: Part of a USDOT-supported multi-vendor deployment.
Kapsch TrafficCom will supply roadside units for the Avondale corridor as part of the Maricopa County Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Acceleration Zone (CVAZ), a $19.6 million interoperable vehicle-to-everything (V2X) initiative under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Once complete, CVAZ is expected to connect up to 750 intersections and approximately 400 vehicles. Use cases include emergency-vehicle preemption and vulnerable road user safety alerts intended to improve safety for pedestrians and other road users. Partners include the cities of Phoenix, Avondale and Tolleson and the Arizona Department of Transportation.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
Large-scale, multi-vendor V2X deployments help test interoperability and safety outcomes, providing evidence for agencies preparing for connected and automated vehicles.
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British Columbia | Taxi Industry Engagement
B.C. Passenger Transportation Board Establishes New Taxi RoundtableStatus: The Board is seeking regional and WAV-operator members. British Columbia’s Passenger Transportation Board is establishing a new B.C. Taxi Roundtable to support engagement and dialogue with the taxi industry. The roundtable will meet twice per year, in October and April, online. Membership will include one licensee from each of the five B.C. passenger transportation regions, one licensed wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) operator, a representative from each taxi association and Board staff. The Board said the forum is intended to identify emerging issues and discuss solutions and innovative approaches; it will not replace or directly affect Board decision-making.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
A structured, recurring forum gives the regulator a direct channel to industry concerns and gives accessible-service operators a defined seat at the table.
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British Columbia | Micromobility & Civic Access
Lime Offers Free E-Bike and E-Scooter Rides to the Polls in Eight B.C. CitiesStatus: Offer runs October 16–24.
Lime is offering two free rides of up to 15 minutes each between October 16 and 24 to help voters travel to and from voting locations during British Columbia’s municipal (October 17) and provincial (October 24) elections. The offer is available in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Victoria and Kelowna. Lime is partnering for a second year with Apathy is Boring, a non-partisan, youth-led charity, to reduce transportation barriers to voting.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The initiative is an example of shared-micromobility programs being used to support civic access and reduce transportation barriers in permitted service areas.
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Manitoba | Insurance & Rideshare Compliance
Manitoba Public Insurance and Winnipeg Report Nearly 80% Drop in Underinsured Rideshare VehiclesStatus: Results reflect continuing compliance work and commentary.
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) and the City of Winnipeg report that the number of rideshare vehicles operating without required vehicle-for-hire insurance has declined by nearly 80% since February, following joint, data-driven compliance work. An initial MPI review of 408 randomly selected rideshare vehicles found that some drivers had switched to personal-use policies after providing proof of vehicle-for-hire coverage to platforms. Since February, approximately 3,000 vehicles lacking the required coverage have been prevented from operating in Winnipeg. The City and MPI are using monthly data analysis and targeted monitoring, with rideshare companies providing data to support compliance.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The results show how insurer–regulator data sharing and platform cooperation can strengthen financial-responsibility compliance for rideshare operations.
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Croatia | Autonomous Ride-Hailing
Verne Begins Testing Fully Driverless Robotaxi Rides in ZagrebStatus: Driverless testing underway; company targets public availability in 2027.
Croatian company Verne, which has operated a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb since April with a safety operator on board, is now testing fully driverless rides with no operator in the vehicle. Testing began in August on its 22-kilometre route between the company’s headquarters and Zagreb’s airport. Verne’s fleet of around 30 automated vehicles operates in the city centre, around the airport and in selected nearby areas, and can be booked through the Verne or Uber apps. The company, which works with Pony.ai, said it expects to open fully driverless service to the public next year.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The move from supervised to fully driverless operation is a key milestone that typically involves updated authorizations, safety cases and remote-operations oversight.
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England | Taxi & Private-Hire Licensing
Fareham Proposes Four-Year Driving-Experience Requirement in Licensing Policy UpdateStatus: Consultation open until November 20.
Fareham Borough Council in Hampshire has proposed updates to its hackney carriage and private-hire licensing policy, including doubling the minimum full driving-licence experience required for new taxi and private-hire drivers from two to four years. The consultation also proposes reducing knowledge test attempts within a 12-month period from three to two, and updating overseas good-conduct documentation to cover countries where applicants have lived for six continuous months or more since age 18. Applicants with more than 12 months of non-UK licence history may still be considered individually.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
Driving-experience thresholds are a common driver-licensing lever, and local consultations show how authorities are reassessing entry standards alongside national best-practice guidance.
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Portugal | Taxi Fares & Tariff Regulation
Portugal Publishes New National Taxi Fare Regulation, Effective October 23Status: Takes effect October 23 with 90 days to adapt taximeters.
Portugal’s Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (AMT) published Regulation No. 1324-A/2026 in the official gazette, setting new rules for taxi fares. The regulation replaces an earlier version published in June, which had been suspended for 60 days so taxi associations could submit proposed adjustments. The new framework takes effect October 23, and operators will have until mid-January 2027 to adapt taximeters. The Portuguese Taxi Federation said several operational proposals from the associations were adopted, including provisions on vehicles with more than four seats and reporting proportionality, while it is seeking clarification on certain measures.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The process illustrates a national tariff-setting approach that includes a formal pause for industry input and a defined transition period for meter compliance.
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Australia | Accessibility & Taxi Services
Australia’s Updated Accessible Transport Standards Take Effect, Including Taxi OperatorsStatus: Amended standards are in effect; separate rideshare and taxi accessibility impact analysis is underway.
Reforms to Australia’s Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 took effect, introducing new requirements for staff training, information sharing and improved design specifications. The Government said taxi operators, along with other transport providers, will be expected to implement the new requirements, with some obligations phased in over 5- or 10-year timeframes. Separately, the Department of Infrastructure is undertaking an impact analysis of reform options to improve the accessibility of rideshare and taxi services, building on a 2024 working group of disability organizations, industry and state and territory governments.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The reforms set clearer accessibility expectations for taxi services and point toward possible national consideration of rideshare accessibility obligations.
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Brazil | Platform Transparency & Consumer Protection
Brazil to Require Ride-Hailing Platforms to Report Complaint and Satisfaction DataStatus: Takes effect November 2.
Brazil’s federal government published Decree 13.135/2026, which identifies providers of private, paid individual passenger transport as businesses that must report information to the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon). Platforms will need to submit data on their customer service models, complaint volumes, resolution rates, complaints recorded by consumer-protection bodies and customer satisfaction indicators. The broader decree also updates national customer-service rules, including an option to reach a human agent.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
Standardized complaint and resolution reporting gives authorities comparable performance data on ride-hailing services and can support evidence-based oversight.
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Chile | Taxi Standards & Ride-Hailing Law Implementation
Chile’s Comptroller Clears Decree Updating Taxi Vehicle Standards Under Ride-Hailing LawStatus: Decree cleared by the Comptroller General; supports implementation of Chile’s ride-hailing (EAT) law.
Chile’s Comptroller General has cleared a decree from the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications that enables the regulation implementing the Law on Transport Application Companies (EAT), commonly known as the “Uber Law.” The decree updates technical requirements for taxis, including removing the minimum engine displacement for basic taxis, unifying the maximum vehicle age at 15 years nationwide and increasing maximum taxi capacity from five to nine people, including the driver. The ministry resubmitted the decree in September with additional technical and legal justification.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
Updating taxi vehicle standards alongside ride-hailing rules is a practical step toward a more consistent framework for taxis and app-based services.
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Featured Research / Policy Report |
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London | Autonomous Passenger-Vehicle Oversight
London Assembly Examines Oversight of Autonomous TransportThe London Assembly Transport Committee has published Who’s Driving the Future of Autonomous Transport in London?, examining how autonomous passenger services should be governed as operators prepare for potential deployment in the capital. The report recommends giving Transport for London (TfL) authority to issue and withdraw Automated Passenger Service permits and set operating conditions when the full national regulations are introduced. During the pilot framework, it also calls for a formal process allowing TfL to request the immediate suspension of a permit pending a decision by the Secretary of State for Transport. Recommended consent conditions include reporting crashes, near misses and related vehicle decision-making data within 24 hours; consistently monitoring and publishing empty vehicle miles; and requiring stronger standards for safety, accessibility, passenger safeguarding and coordination with emergency services. The Committee also recommends giving TfL power to set fleet caps, including different limits across areas of London, and to withdraw consent when deployments harm congestion, active travel or public-transport reliability.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS:
The report provides a detailed policy model for jurisdictions considering how to license, monitor, limit and enforce robotaxi operations. Its recommendations link operating permission to measurable safety and mobility outcomes rather than relying only on vehicle certification.
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A Message From the IATR President
At the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR), our regulators are at the forefront of addressing both the challenges and opportunities facing the mobility paradigm. Our IATR members, partner organizations, and regulated industries will continue on our shared quest to fulfill the mission of our non-profit educational organization—to bring about Multi-Modal Mobility Innovation for All! This mission can best be accomplished through information sharing, collaboration, identifying and promoting best practices, and educating our membership. These educational updates and electronic media clips are affectionately known as “IATR snips” and endeavor to cover all aspects of mobility around the globe—especially news and developments involving safety, technology innovation, multi-modal integration, automation, sustainability, electrification, accessibility, regulatory modernization, and equity. If you would like more information about the IATR, please visit www.iatr.global. Current members can renew their memberships by logging in through the IATR portal at the top right-hand side of the website. If you forgot your membership password, please email info@iatr.global. |
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International Association of Transportation RegulatorsAdvancing safe, equitable, innovative, and effective transportation regulation worldwide. |
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International Association of Transportation Regulators |
