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Daily Transportation News
Friday, September 18, 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 and source links are provided where photographs are embedded; confirm image-use rights before publication.
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We wish you a reflective and meaningful Yom Kippur,
an easy fast, and a joyous breakfast!
G’mar chatima tovah!
In observance of the holiday, this newsletter will not be published Monday, September 21, and will return on September 22.
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AUTONOMOUS RIDE-HAILING & REGULATORY GOVERNANCE
Singapore Sets Phased Path for Waymo Autonomous Ride-Hailing
Image: Waymo.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority announced September 18 that Waymo will become the country’s newest autonomous-vehicle operator, joining ComfortDelGro and Grab. Waymo vehicles are expected to arrive in Singapore in the coming months, followed by an initial readiness phase in 2027 in which trained autonomous specialists will drive the vehicles manually while the company adapts its technology to local road conditions, including Singapore’s road geometry and monsoon weather. Waymo is targeting commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in 2028, subject to applicable safety and regulatory requirements.
The announcement presents a phased approach to autonomous passenger service. LTA said it will work with Waymo to ensure that deployment meets safety and regulatory requirements, while Singapore is also planning for workforce transition by supporting drivers who may move into new roles created by the autonomous-vehicle sector. The public commercial launch remains prospective, not currently authorized passenger service.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: Singapore is positioning autonomous ride-hailing as a managed transport transition rather than simply a vehicle deployment. Its model puts emphasis on local operating conditions, readiness testing, regulatory approval, public-transit integration, workforce planning, and a defined distinction between preparation and commercial passenger operations.
Sources:
Singapore Land Transport Authority
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Waymo
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Channel News Asia
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FEDERAL VEHICLE SAFETY & ROBOTAXI COMPLIANCE
NHTSA Seeks Answers From Tesla on Cybercab Certification
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Tesla to respond by September 30 to questions concerning the certification of its autonomous Cybercab robotaxi. Reuters reports that the agency is examining questions regarding Tesla’s self-certification process, including whether temporary human-driver controls or other equipment were used during certification.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: The inquiry highlights the distinction between federal vehicle certification and separate authorization of passenger services. It raises practical questions about documentation, safety standards, exemptions, operating limits, and the evidence transportation regulators may need when purpose-built autonomous vehicles enter commercial service.
Source:
Reuters
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LOCAL AUTHORITY & ROBOTAXI GOVERNANCE
San Diego City Council Calls for Greater Local Control Over Robotaxis
A Waymo vehicle in downtown San Diego in March. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
The San Diego City Council voted unanimously September 14 to seek greater local authority over autonomous vehicles and robotaxi operations. The action followed Waymo’s September 1 public launch in San Diego after the California Public Utilities Commission authorized the company’s service.
Council members have raised questions about local authority over operating areas, curb use, emergency response, and other passenger-service conditions. The resolution asks state leaders to consider a stronger municipal role; it does not itself terminate robotaxi service.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: San Diego illustrates jurisdictional questions that emerge when a state authorizes autonomous passenger service while cities remain responsible for streets, curb space, emergency response, land use, and local transportation policy.
Sources:
KPBS
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Times of San Diego
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DRONE SAFETY & AIRPORT OPERATIONS
Reported Drone Sighting Briefly Pauses Operations at Reagan National Airport
Flight operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were briefly paused after pilots reported seeing a drone over the runway and taxiway, according to authorities and air-traffic-control recordings reported by ABC News. The incident occurred in the highly restricted airspace surrounding the Washington, D.C., airport.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: Airport drone incidents demonstrate the operational importance of detection, identification, reporting, temporary flight restrictions, law-enforcement response, and passenger communication. The issue is increasingly relevant as legitimate drone activity expands alongside the need to deter unauthorized operations near critical airspace.
Source:
ABC News
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MICROTRANSIT & LAST-MILE MOBILITY
MassDOT Awards $4.4 Million for Microtransit and Last-Mile Connections
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced four September awards totaling $4.4 million through its Microtransit and Last-Mile Transit Grant Program. Funding will support the Salem Skipper, a regional electric microtransit pilot serving Woburn and nearby communities, North Central Mass Connect, and microtransit projects operated by 14 regional transit authorities.
The projects are intended to connect residents with employment, education, health care, and public transportation while supporting flexible service models.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: The awards provide a concrete example of state support for service models that sit between fixed-route transit and conventional demand-response transportation. Agencies will want to assess performance measures, eligibility rules, service areas, accessibility, funding continuity, and integration with existing transit.
Source:
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
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RURAL & ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT
Canada Invests More Than $10.6 Million in Rural Transit Projects Across British Columbia
The federal government announced more than $10.6 million through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund for 13 projects across British Columbia. The investments support fixed-route, flex-route, demand-response transit, community shuttles, Mobility-as-a-Service, accessible hubs, and electrification initiatives.
Projects include an accessible multimodal transit hub in Pemberton, electric buses and charging infrastructure for Nuxalk Nation, and other rural transportation initiatives.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: The program connects rural mobility funding with accessibility, demand-responsive service, electrification, Indigenous-community mobility, and transportation technology. It offers a useful model for policies that support multiple locally appropriate mobility models within a single funding framework.
Sources:
Government of Canada
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Project Backgrounder
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REGIONAL RAIL & TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
Victoria–Langford Passenger Rail Feasibility Work Moves Forward
Image: Government of Canada / PacifiCan.
The Government of Canada announced a $500,000 investment through PacifiCan’s Build Communities Strong Fund to support feasibility and technical studies on potentially restoring passenger rail service between Victoria West and Langford in British Columbia.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: Regional passenger-rail feasibility work highlights early decisions involving corridor stewardship, land use, ridership, accessibility, infrastructure, intergovernmental coordination, and Indigenous partnership before a capital project or operating service is approved.
Source:
PacifiCan / Government of Canada
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PARATRANSIT & ACCESSIBILITY
Ottawa Expands Para Transpo Availability and Launches Late-Night Pilot
OC Transpo’s fall service improvements include increased Para Transpo trip availability and new six- and seven-metre minibuses. A late-night pilot launched September 4 extends Para Transpo service until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
The changes form part of Ottawa’s broader Customer-First Action Plan, which also includes bus and rail adjustments and additional express connections.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: Accessible transportation systems require measurement of trip availability, service hours, fleet suitability, dispatch performance, and customer experience—not solely vehicle numbers. The late-night pilot is a useful example of expanding service while testing demand and operational capacity.
Source:
City of Ottawa
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WORKFORCE & CROSS-BORDER COMPLIANCE
European Commission Proposes Fair Labour Mobility Package
The European Commission adopted a Fair Labour Mobility Package on September 15 containing proposals intended to make it easier for workers to establish social-security and health-insurance rights across EU borders, recognize professional qualifications, and improve cooperation among national administrations.
The package also proposes stronger tools for enforcing workers’ rights and addressing fraud involving mobile workers and cross-border employment. The measures are proposals and remain subject to the EU legislative process.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: Transportation operators frequently rely on mobile and cross-border workforces. Clearer qualification recognition, digital documentation, and stronger administrative cooperation could affect licensing, compliance verification, and enforcement involving professional drivers and other regulated transportation workers.
Source:
European Commission
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ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY & SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
European Mobility Week Highlights “Mobility for Everyone”
More than 2,500 towns and cities are participating in European Mobility Week from September 16 through September 22. The 2026 theme, “Mobility for Everyone,” focuses on accessible and inclusive transportation for people of different ages, incomes, locations, and abilities.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: The campaign provides a policy lens for agencies evaluating whether sustainable transportation programs are also accessible and affordable. It encourages local authorities to test planning measures, infrastructure, technology, and public-engagement approaches that broaden mobility options.
Source:
European Commission
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AUTOMATED PASSENGER SERVICES & LOCAL AUTHORITY ROLES
European and U.K. AV Frameworks Emphasize Local Roles in Passenger-Service Deployment
European institutions are continuing work to support more consistent autonomous-vehicle deployment across national borders, including cross-border testbeds and shared principles for permitting and approval procedures. In the United Kingdom, the Automated Passenger Services framework gives taxi and private-hire licensing authorities a defined role where a proposed automated passenger service resembles taxi or private-hire activity, while traffic authorities are consulted on proposed deployments.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: AV deployment requires coordination between national vehicle rules and local authority over passenger transport, street operations, curb management, traffic controls, accessibility, and emergency response. The policy direction reinforces the need to define who may approve, condition, monitor, modify, or suspend an automated passenger service.
Sources:
European Commission
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U.K. Department for Transport
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GLOBAL AV RULES & HARMONIZATION
UNECE Advances Work on Global Automated-Driving Standards
UNECE’s Working Party on Automated, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles continues work on a proposed United Nations Global Technical Regulation for Automated Driving Systems. The proposed global technical regulation was reviewed through the UNECE process in 2026, with final English, French, and Russian versions posted in June.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: International technical standards can influence national approaches to vehicle certification, automated-driving-system performance, and cross-border deployment. Regulators should track how global technical work translates into local approval, commercial-service, data, and enforcement requirements.
Source:
UNECE
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DRIVERLESS TESTING & PASSENGER SAFETY
Croatia Begins Fully Driverless Robotaxi Passenger Testing in Zagreb
Image: Pony.ai.
Pony.ai and Verne began fully driverless robotaxi test rides with invited passengers on public roads in Zagreb on September 10. The 22-kilometre route connects Verne’s headquarters and a business district with Zagreb Airport.
The companies said the testing is being conducted under applicable Croatian regulations and approvals for autonomous-vehicle testing with passengers on public roads. The activity is testing, not a general public commercial-service launch.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: Passenger-facing driverless testing raises operational oversight questions around defined operating boundaries, passenger communication, accessible service, incident reporting, emergency response, cybersecurity, remote support, and authority to modify or suspend an authorization.
Sources:
Pony.ai
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Verne
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AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE LICENSING & INSPECTION
UAE Cabinet Approves Federal Autonomous-Vehicle Regulation
The UAE Cabinet approved a resolution in September establishing mechanisms for inspecting, registering, licensing, and renewing licenses for autonomous vehicles, as well as procedures for testing new vehicle technologies.
The decision builds on the UAE’s broader regulatory development around self-driving vehicles and establishes a federal framework addressing vehicle approval and testing functions.
WHY IT MATTERS TO REGULATORS: The UAE approach illustrates the need to regulate AVs across the full lifecycle: inspection, registration, licensing, renewal, testing, and allocation of responsibilities. These functions complement the operating permits and passenger-service rules that local transportation regulators may need.
Sources:
UAE Government Media Office
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UAE Government
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Featured Research / Study
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AI & TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
AI for TSMO Report Examines Procurement, Governance, and Implementation
The National Operations Center of Excellence released an “AI for TSMO” peer-exchange report examining how transportation agencies are approaching artificial intelligence for transportation systems management and operations. The report addresses procurement, contracting, governance, staffing, funding, and implementation questions facing public agencies.
REGULATOR USE: The report shifts the AI discussion beyond technology adoption toward the institutional controls agencies need before deployment, including procurement terms, governance structures, data accountability, workforce capacity, and oversight mechanisms.
Source:
National Operations Center of Excellence
AUTOMATED VEHICLES & PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Study Examines How AV Sound Cues Affect Pedestrian Behavior
Zoox team member Daniel Edillor demonstrates a crosswalk test scenario designed to measure participant response times to audio tones played by the approaching test vehicle to signal it will yield. Photo by Erem Memisyazici for Virginia Tech.
Researchers associated with Virginia Tech and Zoox studied whether different sounds emitted by autonomous vehicles influence pedestrian behavior at crossings. The study examined participant responses to different vehicle tones in jaywalking and crosswalk scenarios.
REGULATOR USE: The research is relevant to regulators considering how automated vehicles communicate with pedestrians, especially where conventional visual cues and driver-to-pedestrian interaction are absent. It supports attention to accessibility, sound design, street context, and evidence-based pedestrian-safety requirements.
Source:
Virginia Tech / Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
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Cybercab oversight: Monitor Tesla’s September 30 response to NHTSA and any further clarification about federal certification, vehicle configuration, or service deployment.
Singapore AV pathway: Watch for the Land Transport Authority’s operating conditions, 2027 readiness-phase requirements, service-area decisions, passenger safeguards, and workforce-transition measures.
Local robotaxi authority: Follow whether California responds to San Diego’s request for a more formal local role in robotaxi operations, curb management, airport access, and emergency-response coordination.
Accessible service: Track outcomes from Ottawa’s Para Transpo late-night pilot and British Columbia’s rural-transit investments, including trip availability, service reliability, rider experience, and charging readiness.
Global AV framework: Monitor how UNECE technical work and the UAE’s federal licensing framework are translated into local passenger-service, data, incident-reporting, and enforcement requirements.
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Message from 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 IATR, visit www.iatr.global. Current members can renew their memberships through the IATR website, or contact info@iatr.global for assistance.
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INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TRANSPORTATION REGULATORS
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