IATR Early Bird Pricing Until Aug 15

Hotel Block Rate Deadline Until Aug 14

AV City: Autonomous Mobility

Las Vegas, Nevada | September 14–17, 2026

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

This year’s IATR Conference will be held at the Vdara Hotel, a modern property located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Known for its atmosphere and exceptional location, Vdara provides the ideal setting for an innovative and forward-looking conference experience built around multimodal safe and sustainable transportation.

The Vdara offers an excellent environment for government regulators, transportation professionals, technology companies and industry leaders to connect and collaborate.

After a full day of sessions and networking, attendees can enjoy the comfort of this beautifully designed hotel while remaining just minutes from everything Las Vegas has to offer. For our attendees, Vdara offers an ideal venue for a productive and enjoyable IATR experience.

IATR has worked hard to secure the best possible rates for conference attendees, with a variety of room options available. However, the number of rooms in the IATR room block is limited, and the discounted hotel block rate is only available through this Friday, August 14. We encourage attendees to make their reservations soon to take advantage of the conference rate and ensure they have a room at Vdara during the conference.

2026 Conference Hotel Block Pricing

Plus applicable resort fees and taxes

You can click here to access the hotel reservation portal, to see your options, and to book your room.

Image: Eno Center for Transportation

Over the course of the summer, there have been a number of updates in the AV regulatory space as commercial autonomous vehicle deployments expand. These include announcements and ongoing regulatory changes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), updates and discussions at the state and local level, and some movement on the Hill. Key questions around safety standards and expectations, impacts on labor, and the extent to which state and local governments should be preempted from AV regulation remain on the table.

As Congress considers these questions and a potential federal framework for AV deployments, NHTSA plans to move forward with guidance and updates to vehicle standards, and states will likely continue to update and debate their AV regulations, including states that currently do not permit commercial operations. The needs and experiences of cities and localities on the frontlines of deployments should inform the ongoing regulatory processes at both the state and federal level.

On July 30^th, NHTSA announced its latest actions to accelerate the development of autonomous passenger vehicles. Under the second Trump Administration, NHTSA has clearly signaled its interest in providing the AV industry regulatory certainty needed to enable expanded deployments. NHTSA has emphasized both its excitement around the potential of the industry and that it is not afraid to call out the industry broadly when it sees issues emerging, such as letter sent out this month calling on autonomous vehicle companies to enhance their first responder interactions, or to utilize its recall authorities. This reflects the industry’s and Administration’s viewpoint that autonomous mobility should move forward quickly while also recognizing that the success of the autonomous vehicle industry is reliant on public trust and safety perceptions. There also appears to be growing awareness from the industry of the importance of creating better relations with first responders and other city officials on the front lines of deployments.

NHTSA has primarily been working to enable autonomous vehicle deployments through updating the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to better align with the needs of AVs from a vehicle design standpoint. For example, in June, NHTSA released updates to FMVSS No. 135, removing requirements for foot-operated brakes in autonomous vehicles. NHTSA has indicated that updates to the FMVSS will continue.

Source: Eno Center for Transportation

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Image: Daily Line

Illinois rideshare drivers will soon have the ability to unionize and collectively bargain under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, a measure supporters say will give more than 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers a greater voice in pay, benefits and working conditions.

The legislation, House Bill 5090, creates the Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, establishing a framework for drivers working through app-based transportation companies to organize, select bargaining representatives and negotiate industrywide agreements with rideshare companies.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief Senate sponsor, said rideshare drivers have increasingly faced lower wages, rising vehicle costs and a lack of workplace protections despite playing a critical role in transportation across Illinois.

“Rideshare drivers are the back-bones of our communities, getting our neighbors to their job, school or doctors’ appointments,” Villivalam said in a statement. “So many of our residents rely on rideshare drivers – meanwhile those driving are facing decreased wages, increased vehicle costs and unfair working conditions.”

Supporters of the legislation say the growth of companies such as Uber and Lyft has transformed the transportation industry while leaving many drivers with limited recourse to challenge pay policies, deactivations or other workplace issues.

Source: My State Line

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How Ride-Hailing Services Uber, Lyft Boosted Local Economies: Carnegie Mellon Study

As Uber and Lyft began offering ride-hailing services in cities across the U.S. during the 2010s, economic activity and employment in certain jobs increased, according to a Carnegie Mellon University study published on July 24 in Nature Cities. The researchers found that regional gross domestic product per capita rose by an estimated 2.9% in the six years following the arrival of ride-hailing operators in each of the 167 metropolitan areas studied.  The study also identified growth in “unstable employment” — another way of referring to gig workers — of about 3.7% in the working-age population, but not in total employment. “That could indicate “substitution of permanent jobs with seasonal or intermittent alternatives, turnover between stable jobs, or both,” the report says.

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The Transit Infrastructure Lottery

Federal transportation investment in the United States suffers from both a quantity problem and a quality problem.  The quantity problem is much-discussed, and rightfully so: the United States spends less than peer countries, even as U.S. infrastructure costs are far higher. Passenger interest in new mass transit and rail infrastructure in particular highlights the extent of underinvestment and unmet demand: Caltrain electrification and service improvements increased ridership by 57 percent in Calendar Year 2025, and Amtrak routes such as the Borealis routinely exceed ridership projections.

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Aurora Innovation Commercial Scaling Phase Underway

Aurora Innovation’s transition to commercial scaling introduces improved autonomous technology produced at half the cost through its second-generation truck, company executives said on a call with analysts on July 29. “Crucially, we expect this kit to drive a 50% plus reduction in Aurora Driver hardware costs, a key lever supporting our breakeven gross margin target,” Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO said in the call. Between 20 and 25 autonomous trucks are expected to be in service in Q3, Urmson said. But manufacturing partner Roush is on track to reach an annual production rate of 1,000 trucks in October.

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Nearly 248,000 Canadian Transportation Jobs Depend on US Demand: Report

Nearly 248,000 Canadian transportation and warehousing jobs depend on demand from the United States, highlighting the stakes for the freight sector as Canada and the U.S. negotiate the future of their trading relationship. A new report prepared by Oxford Economics for the Canadian American Business Council (CABC) found 247,828 transportation and warehousing jobs were directly or indirectly supported by Canadian exports to the U.S. in 2024.

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Government of Canada Announces Modernization of the Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport to Begin This Fall

Strong and reliable transportation infrastructure is essential to keeping Northern, Arctic, and Indigenous communities connected. That’s why the first investment through the Arctic Infrastructure Fund (AIF) will be for the Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport, which serves as a lifeline for the local economy, ensures access to essential goods and services, and strengthens Canada’s presence in the North.

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Calgary: The Push for Accessible Transit Starts at the Bus Stop

Calgary Transit has installed 89 tactile, high-contrast signs along Route 90, giving riders who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision access to key bus-stop information through raised text and braille. The pilot route runs between Bridgeland and the University of Calgary. Each sign includes information such as the stop ID, route details, and Calgary Transit’s TeleRide phone number, 403-974-4000.

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London Taxi Drivers Face 20% Freenow by Lyft Commission Charge from September As Platform Announces Pricing Increase

Freenow by Lyft will increase the commission charged to London black cab drivers to 20% including VAT from 14 September 2026. Drivers are being informed of the change by email today, beginning a notice period before the new commission rate takes effect. Freenow said the additional revenue would support further investment in product development, driver benefits and passenger marketing.

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Chinese Autonomous Taxi Technology Enters European Markets

Chinese autonomous driving companies are expanding their presence in Europe through partnerships with local mobility platforms, fleet operators and automakers, amid efforts by European governments to enable testing and future commercial deployment. WeRide said on Aug 3 that it had formed a strategic partnership with Danish shared electric mobility provider GreenMobility. The partners aim to launch a public robotaxi service in Denmark in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. Denmark is WeRide's first Nordic market and its sixth in Europe.

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Conditions, Rules and Image: The Keys to Solving Italy’s Driver Shortage

Italy’s truck driver shortage has slightly eased. It currently stands at 9%. But the underlying challenges remain. The issue is not only about numbers, Andrea Tardivo, Technical Expert at IRU member CONFETRA, told us. The first issue facing truck drivers is life on the road. Truck driving is considered a challenging profession. It can mean long periods away from home. It can involve long waiting times at loading and unloading points. It can also mean limited access to suitable parking and rest facilities.

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Bar Taxi Drivers Association: We Are Fair to Cruise Ship Passengers

The non-governmental association "Association of Auto Taxi Enterprises of Bar" said that they treat cruise ship guests fairly and that they have pre-defined prices for them, which they have informed the Tourist Organization (TO) of Bar, and that the problems are caused by "wild" taxi drivers who are not part of their association.

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Qumbu, Tsolo Brought to Standstill by Taxi Shutdown

Tension boiled over in the Elundini area on Thursday as taxi operators in Qumbu and Tsolo shut down the towns in protest against what they call unfair competition from long-distance buses. Speaking on behalf of the industry, Enye Maphathwana said about 14 bus companies are now operating in the area and picking up passengers, a move he claims has badly affected taxis that service long-distance routes.

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Road to Improving Hong Kong’s Taxi Services Far from Smooth

One year into the launch of the city’s premium taxi fleets, the promise of a better transport service for passengers is arguably just halfway honoured. While the operators are catching up following initial setbacks, the journey ahead will not be the smooth ride that policymakers and the industry have hoped for. With more than 2,000 fleet taxis currently on the road, there are at least more choices. As of the end of May, the five fleets – SynCab, Big Boss Taxi, Amigo, Big Bee Taxi and Joie – had completed about 4.2 million trips in total. But the number of vehicles still falls short of the government’s target of 3,500.

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Image: Tech Crunch

Zoox just got the green light to do something no other US robotaxi operator has done: run a purpose-built car with no steering wheel or pedals and charge you for the ride. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted Amazon-owned Zoox a temporary exemption from several key Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards so those joystick-free pods can legally operate as commercial vehicles.

The approval opens the door to paid trips in Las Vegas as soon as August 10, 2026, but it is not a blank check for nationwide rollout. The exemption is time-limited, capped in vehicle volume, and wrapped in extra federal oversight. If you care about where US self-driving rules are heading, this is the test case regulators will be watching very closely.

NHTSA approved Zoox’s request under 49 CFR Part 555, the section of federal rules that lets the agency temporarily exempt vehicles from certain standards if they are testing new safety technology. Instead of a permanent certification, Zoox gets a two-year exemption window running from July 31, 2026 through July 31, 2028, with permission to deploy up to 2,500 of its automated shuttles per year.

The covered Zoox robotaxi drops familiar controls entirely, so NHTSA waived requirements tied to features a steering-wheel car would need. That list includes windshield wipers and defrosters, some lighting and mirror rules, rear visibility, manual brake controls, sun visors, specific windshield abrasion and distortion limits, and portions of FMVSS No. 208 on occupant crash protection related to airbag warning label placement. In exchange, the agency is using what it calls enhanced oversight for these exempt vehicles rather than treating them like any other certified car.

Source: Motor 1

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“The Evolving Regulatory Landscape for AVs IATR’s Guiding Principles for Robotaxi Testing & Deployment, and Autonomous Vehicle Policy Challenges & Solutions” will all be part of the bootcamp at the 39^th Annual IATR Conference on Monday September 14. Click here for more information

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