IATR 39th Annual Conference Early Bird Pricing Until Aug 15!

AV City: Autonomous Mobility

Las Vegas, Nevada | September 14–17, 2026

Vdara Hotel at ARIA | 2600 W Harmon Ave, Las Vegas, NV

Early-bird pricing extended until August 15

Hotel room block available through August 14 – availability limited

Sponsorship opportunities available until August 14

David Do, former Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission

David Do, former Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, addressed the National Conference of State Transportation Specialists (NCSTS) Annual Conference on July 28 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presenting a session titled "Green Rides: The Spark That Ignited Regulation." David's talk walked regulators through the design and early results of New York City's high-volume-for-hire-vehicle electrification mandate, the Green Rides Initiative, framing it as a case study in converting a market signal into an enforceable public-interest rule.

NCSTS, founded in 1959, is a state-based organization focused on transportation regulation. The organization serves an operational role in federal hazardous materials and carrier registration programs: it is affiliated with the Alliance for Uniform Hazmat Transportation Procedures, and under the Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005, NCSTS recommends five of the fifteen members of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors. This year's conference, held at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, drew state regulators and industry sponsors including GenLogs, Evans Transportation, and Tyler Technologies, and covered topics ranging from household goods tariffs to cargo theft and rail safety alongside David's session on TNC electrification.

David traced New York's rule from a modest EV share of high-volume trips in 2023 to a phased compliance ratio climbing to 100 percent by 2030, structured around reporting, fines, and corrective-action plans rather than a blunt cap. He credited the design with measurable results: zero-emission trips rose from 157,000 in January 2023 to 1.08 million in January 2024, EV trips reached 2.46 million monthly by July 2025, and the city saw a corresponding buildout of fast-charging infrastructure, from Port Authority airport investments to new capacity from Revel, Gravity, and Tesla-affiliated networks. The rule protected accessibility and driver economics alongside emissions goals, with over 8,000 wheelchair-accessible for-hire vehicles and 90 percent of WAV riders waiting ten minutes or less.

David positioned the New York experience as a direct application of IATR's Guiding Principles for Mobility Policy & Congestion Mitigation. The IATR’s 2023 framework is built from workshops, member surveys, and a review of U.S. and international practice. It identifies vehicle growth from TNCs and e-commerce, private car dependence, and post-pandemic modal shift from transit as root causes of urban congestion, and lays out solution-focused principles including fair road pricing, expansion of EV infrastructure, maximizing vehicle utilization, and promoting equity and accessibility – paired with explicit cautions against blunt tools such as blanket vehicle caps or unstructured congestion fees. David's session showed those principles operating in practice: a phased, measurable target tied to accountability and infrastructure investment, rather than a cap or an unstructured mandate.

David tied the New York experience back to the broader regulatory community, noting that the case illustrates IATR's core position that regulators can shape markets toward public outcomes before those markets harden in the wrong direction.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill

IATR President Matt Daus said, “We are pleased to welcome Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill as the keynote speaker opening the 39^th Annual IATR Conference on Tuesday, September 15^th, at 9:30 a.m. A veteran and leader in law enforcement and community affairs for more than 35 years, Sheriff McMahill understands the importance of safe multimodal mobility in supporting economic growth and thriving neighborhoods.”

Sheriff Kevin McMahill became the eighth sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Jan. 2, 2023.

McMahill has built a distinguished law enforcement career over more than three decades, serving at every level of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). During his six years as undersheriff, he provided steady leadership through some of the community’s most significant challenges.

After three years in the United States Army, McMahill joined Metro in 1990 as a patrol officer and later served as a field training officer and academy training staff member. He was promoted to sergeant in 2001, with assignments in Patrol, Training, and Internal Affairs, and to lieutenant in 2006, serving in Patrol, Narcotics, and the Homeland Security Bureau.

In 2010, McMahill became captain of the Bolden Area Command in West Las Vegas. Building on the Safe Village initiative, he formed nontraditional partnerships with the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, activists, and other community stakeholders. These efforts reduced crime in every category, including a 40% drop in overall violence, and marked the first time an area command ended the year with reductions across all categories. LVMPD later received the prestigious Webber-Seavey Award, the highest honor for excellence in community policing, in recognition of the program’s success.

In 2011, McMahill was appointed deputy chief of the Patrol Division, overseeing eight area commands. He helped expand the community policing programs he began at Bolden Area Command across the valley, which led to the creation of the Office of Community Engagement in 2015 to strengthen community relationships.

McMahill was promoted to assistant sheriff in 2013 and in 2014, former Sheriff Doug Gillespie promoted McMahill to undersheriff, where he served for six years as second-in-command under former Sheriff Joe Lombardo.

Ex-Uber Boss Travis Kalanick Lands Air Taxi 'Vertiport' Deal with Joby

Ex-Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick is back in the ride-hail business — but this time in the skies. Air taxi maker Joby Aviation (JOBY) on Monday announced a strategic partnership with Atoms, the industrial AI and infrastructure company founded by Kalanick, to acquire and develop a network of "vertiports," or heliports for air taxis, across the US as Joby nears its commercial service launch. The partnership will initially target Florida, New York, and Texas, where Joby is preparing to launch early operations under the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), as well as California.

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Waymo CEO Explains Why Tesla’s Camera-Only Self-Driving Falls Short

Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov laid out the clearest technical case yet for why cameras alone can’t take a self-driving system to full autonomy, arguing that “weak sensing” hits a safety ceiling long before it reaches superhuman performance. He never said the word Tesla. But camera-only is Tesla’s entire bet, and this was a direct shot at it. Dolgov made the comments in a talk at Y Combinator’s Startup School, walking through the lessons Waymo has learned building its driver over close to two decades. He put the sensor question on the table plainly: “there’s been a long-standing debate about what kind of sensors do you actually need for autonomous driving.”

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NYC Council Pushes Slate of Measures to Address Dangerous E-Bikes

The New York City Council is pushing nearly a dozen legislative measures to combat dangerous e-bikes across the Big Apple — as lawmakers demand an overhaul of enforcement and oversight to boost pedestrian safety. The council on Tuesday announced it will hold an oversight hearing next month and will conduct a “comprehensive review” on how to address the scourge of e-bikes in the city. “We already have laws on the books, yet they are not being adequately enforced — and we must also examine what additional legislative solutions are needed to keep New Yorkers safe,” said Speaker Julie Menin.

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Stellantis Drivers Could Be 'Disciplined' for Using Detroit's New Bridge to Canada

The directive appears to apply specifically to FCA Transport drivers covered by UAW Local 212, not to all Stellantis traffic or employees at the Windsor Assembly Plant, CTV News reports. In a Facebook post directed to transport drivers for the automaker, UAW Local 212 Chair J.T. Barrett said that the company has a contract to exclusively use the Ambassador Bridge. Rather than each truck paying individual tolls to use the bridge, FCA Transport pays a flat rate of $160,000 per month for an unlimited number of crossings.

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The Resilience Case for Canadian Transport Electrification

Recent global events, from war-driven oil shocks to attacks on critical infrastructure, have shown the fragility of current centralized fossil fuel chains. The effects have been felt most prominently at the pump, resulting in an average fuel price increase of 27.1 per cent since the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. As Canada seeks more resilience from these shocks, shown by the recently published national electricity strategy and broader electrification agenda, no product highlights this more than electric vehicles (EVs).

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Vancouver Prepares for New Solaris Trolleybus Fleet

The city of Vancouver is preparing to place a new fleet of Polish-built trolleybuses into service from September. Public transport operator TransLink says it is excited to launch the next generation of trolleybuses into service, which promise a more accessible, modern, and reliable experience for passengers.

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China’s Weride Enters Denmark, Extending European Footprint

Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide said on Monday it would enter Denmark through a partnership with Danish electric mobility operator ​GreenMobility, extending its European footprint to a sixth ‌country as Chinese self-driving firms accelerate overseas expansion. Europe has emerged as a key growth market for China’s autonomous driving companies, following an earlier push into the Gulf region, as they seek to commercialise their ‌technology ​beyond their home market amid intensifying ⁠competition and regulatory scrutiny.

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Inside Europe’s EV Boom: Are We Prepared for More Than a Million Batteries to Reach End-of-Life?

Experts are calling for recycling technology to “rapidly expand” as millions of EV batteries are set to die in the coming years. More than a million electric vehicle (EV) batteries could reach end-of-life by 2030, becoming one of the world’s “fastest-growing waste streams”. Global EV sales have surged in recent years, surpassing 20 million units and now accounting for around 25 per cent of all new cars sold worldwide. The EV boom has also been bolstered by the war on Iran, which continues to send oil and gas prices soaring. In fact, more than 1.24 million fully electric cars were sold in Europe during the first half of 2026 – marking a 33.7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

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London Ambulance Service Adds 77 New Electric Vehicles

London Ambulance Service has strengthened its fleet of electric ambulances with 77 new zero-emission vehicles. The new arrivals comprises of 37 electric ambulances and 40 fast response cars. In total, there are 41 electric ambulances, 81 fast-response cars and 3 motorcycles. It said that electric vehicles were quicker to maintain, cheaper to run and more reliable, reducing the amount of time a vehicle is off the road by 75%. The electric ambulances can cover a full 12-hour shift on a single charge, enabling crews to spend more time out on the road caring for patients.

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China Has Banned Hidden Retractable Car Door Handles. How Are They Dangerous – and What Will Australia Do?

They used to be a novelty in Australia: the futuristic, flush-mounted car door handles favoured by Elon Musk’s Tesla. However while the design – popularised with the Tesla Model S in 2012 and since adopted by other manufacturers – might look sleek, it may not be great in an emergency. After several deadly high-profile accidents involving different makes and models, in which power failings saw people trapped inside the vehicle, China has announced a world-first ban on hidden or retractable electric car door handles.

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China Draws Up Safety Rules for Autonomous Vehicles

China has drawn up new safety rules for the growing number of autonomous vehicles on its roads, including a mandatory deactivation override, the government said Tuesday. The standards taking effect July 1, 2027 will cover autonomous vehicles that require a human back-up driver, as well as independently operating vehicles such as the robotaxis made by US manufacturer Waymo. Under the new rules, manufacturers will have to ensure autonomous systems can match the safety of human drivers, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement.

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Africa’s Road Deaths Rise 17% As Global Fatalities Fall 21%, Exposing Continent’s Safety Crisis

The world is making measurable progress in reducing road traffic fatalities, yet Africa remains an alarming exception. While global road deaths fell by 21 per cent between 2011 and 2025, the African continent witnessed a troubling 17 per cent increase over the same period, according to the latest Global Status Report on Road Safety released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).  The contrasting trends have reignited concerns among road safety experts, policymakers and development partners, who warn that unless African governments urgently address weak transport governance, poor infrastructure, inadequate law enforcement and rapid urbanisation, the continent could continue to bear the world’s highest road fatality rates. 

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Image: Patrick T. Fallon

Amazon's Zoox unit has won U.S. approval for limited commercial deployment of its novel steering-wheel-free robotaxis, a first for the autonomous ride industry, the U.S. auto safety agency said on Thursday.

Zoox said that the National Highway Traffic Safety ‌Administration's decision gives the company federal approval to begin charging for rides, and that it will soon begin charging for service, first in Las Vegas, with additional markets to follow as it completes various state requirements.

The exemption granted by the agency from federal rules requiring human controls, first reported by Reuters, marks a milestone for companies developing robotaxis from the ground up, ​rather than modifying conventional cars under safety regulations written long before self-driving technology emerged.

As part of the exemption, NHTSA is placing additional reporting requirements on Zoox for issues such as crashes or stopping inappropriately on roads, and the regulatory agency will adjust the conditions based on ‌how the ⁠vehicles behave.

Source: Reuters

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