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IATR Technology & Innovation Committee Meeting

Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 02:00 PM ET / 11:00 am PT

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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you are interested in attending and/or joining the Technology & Innovation Committee, please email Kim at info@iatr.global by EOD Monday, February 23, 2026. Please note this meeting is open to all REGULATOR & ASSOCIATE MEMBERS.

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Washington State now boasts something unprecedented: a comprehensive, statewide, navigable map of sidewalks, street crossings, and curb ramps. Known as OS-CONNECT, this system covers regions where 90% of the state's population lives, making it the most thorough pedestrian inventory at a statewide level in the nation.

This marks a significant change in Washington’s approach to improving access for nondrivers. The use of a unified map shifts the discussion from estimating where enhancements are needed to establishing clear priorities and facilitating effective project planning. Moving forward, the next steps will involve defining responsibilities and advancing improvements in an efficient and measurable manner. OpenThePaths will focus on maintaining comprehensive data, setting priorities, ensuring accountability, and tracking measurable progress.

The dataset, designated as OS-CONNECT, was developed by the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (TCAT) at the University of Washington with the assistance of Gaussian Solutions and funding allocated by the Washington State Legislature. It serves as the first shared framework for evaluating how nondrivers access employment, education, healthcare, transit, and other essential destinations statewide. By enabling a collective view of the system, the platform fosters collaboration among agencies and communities throughout Washington.

“At its heart, this is about designing transportation around the fullness of human experience,” said Anat Caspi, Director of the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology. “When we can see where access works and where it fails, collaboration becomes possible, and so does accountability.”

On February 26–27, community stakeholders, advocates, planners, technologists, transit officials, and elected representatives will convene at the University of Washington for OpenThePaths 2026, an event organized by TCAT.

Representatives from local, regional, state, and federal agencies will participate in discussions focused on how shared information can support Washington’s efforts to evaluate accessibility consistently, transparently identify gaps, guide more strategic investments, and enhance mobility options for individuals who walk or use mobility devices.

Full schedule and registration can be found here.

You can view the data map of the state of Washington’s connected sidewalk and crossing data here. 

Image: MyBroadBand

The Department of Transport is optimistic that ride-hailing companies will register in time to comply with South Africa’s new regulations. Speaking to 702, department spokesperson Collen Msibi acknowledged that there is truth to reports that no companies had managed to register yet.

“The uptake was taking a bit longer, but I also have good news that probably by the end of this month, we’re going to announce the companies that have registered,” he said. “We are in the process of finalising that. We were quite worried at some point that they were not coming on board.”

However, Msibi said the reminder the department issued in late 2025 explained why ride-hailing operators need to comply with the new regulations.

“They have to go to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, for instance, to get some certification before they can come to the regulator in the department,” he said.

“That’s why it’s taking so long. I can assure you there are companies that have come through now that are presenting to the regulator, so we should be able to announce quite soon.”

Msibi declined to say whether the country’s largest ride-hailing players, Uber and Bolt, had already registered.

Source: MyBroadBand

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Transportation Department Says More than 550 Driving Schools Must Close over Safety Failures

More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employed unqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students and had other safety issues, the federal Transportation Department announced Wednesday. The move marks the Trump administration's latest effort to improve safety in the trucking industry. And unlike its actions last fall to decertify up to 7,500 schools that included many defunct operations, this latest step is focused on active schools inspectors identified as having significant shortcomings in 1,426 site visits completed in December.

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Atlanta to Host First Fully Automated On-Demand Public Transit System

South Metro Atlanta is set to become home to a demonstration pilot for a publicly accessible automated transit network using autonomous electric vehicles on dedicated guideways. This system promises to end nail-biting traffic congestion, delivering a rail-like capacity at bus-fare prices without the traditional cost or construction timelines.

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In Reversal, Hochul Says No Way on Waymo Outside New York City

“Based on conversations with stakeholders, including in the Legislature, it was clear that the support was not there to advance this proposal,” Sean Butler, a spokesperson for Hochul, said in a statement.

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Canada Prioritizes Jobs in Transportation Sector for Permanent Residency

The Canadian government has updated its selection criteria to fast-track skilled workers for permanent residency (PR) in four key occupations in the transportation sector to address critical labour shortages across the country.

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Nova Bus Receives Firm Order from Academy Bus

On Feb. 19 Nova Bus, a Volvo Group company, received a firm order for 15 Nova LFS buses from Academy Bus, a privately owned and operated ground transportation company in the United States and reportedly the largest private fleet owner of Nova LFS platform buses in that country. Per a Feb. 19 press release, the company operates more than 20 facilities stretching from Boston to Miami with an existing fleet of 1,100 buses.

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Car Share Companies Can Benefit from Feds’ EV Rebates

The federal government’s revived electric vehicle rebate program is offering car share companies 50 rebates each year to help transition their fleets, but the policy design leaves much to be desired, experts and industry say. The $2.3 billion EV Affordability Program would offer Canadians and businesses rebates of up to $5,000 for battery electric and fuel EVs and up to $2,500 for plug-in hybrids over five years.

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Dynamic Pricing Helps Make More Trips Happen, Says Uber UK Chief

As part of a wider exclusive interview with TaxiPoint, Brem defended the platform’s pricing model amid ongoing debate within the taxi and private hire sector about the merits of flexible versus fixed fares. He said the core purpose of dynamic pricing is to increase the likelihood that a journey takes place in varying market conditions.  

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Istanbul, Amsterdam and Barcelona Rated Best European Cities for Taxi Pick-Ups

Istanbul Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat have ranked best airports in Europe for passenger pick-up services; via local taxi and Uber connections. A new study, conducted by ground transportation experts Mozio, reveals the best and worst global airports for passengers to be collected from, based on factors such as pick-up rules and restrictions, surcharges and fees and ease of access.

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London: New Regulations for Pedicabs to Curb ‘Rip-Off’ Fares

Pedicabs will be barred from blasting bangers and charging “rip-off” fares under new rules which will mean rickshaws in the capital face regulations for the first time. Under new rules proposed by Transport for London (TfL), drivers will be required to have a full driving license, pass enhanced criminal checks, and meet English language requirements to operate the neon-rimmed vehicles. The vehicles themselves will need a licence and have to display a registration plate, while drivers will be banned from playing music out loud.

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Taxing the Gig Economy in Kazakhstan

Beginning in 2026, Kazakhstan plans to introduce enhanced oversight of citizens’ mobile transfers. Officially, the measure is framed as part of efforts to combat tax evasion. In practice, however, it represents a large-scale fiscalization of the gig economy, which employs hundreds of thousands of taxi drivers and couriers.

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Singapore PARF Rebates Cut by 45%: EVs Likely to Become More Enticing to Own

Are the golden days of dreaming about owning a car in Singapore truly behind us?

The enduring pressure of six-figure COE premiums notwithstanding, this week's industry-changing announcement - revealed as part of Singapore's 2026 Budget - now threatens to make financing a car more arduous still. Moving forward, Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) rebates are set to be slashed by 45 percentage points across all age groups for PARF-eligible cars. Rebates will also be capped at just $30,000 now, from $60,000 previously.

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South Africa, the Most Dangerous Country for E-hailing Drivers

While violence against e-hailing drivers continues to be a problem for platforms like Uber and Bolt worldwide, including serious incidents where cars are damaged, and drivers are physically harmed, South Africa is the only country in the world where drivers are murdered and kidnapped, allegedly because they infringe on the business of established taxi associations.

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Image: Mobility 10x

In a recent research paper published in Science Direct titled Navigating the Gig Economy: Transportation Labor Challenges Facing California’s App-Based Ride-Hailing and Courier Drivers, authors from the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at UC Berkeley – Susan Shaheen, Brooke Wolfe, and Adam Cohen – analyze the changing environment for gig worker classification in California and how the current framework impacts drivers who work with transportation network companies as well as courier network services.

This work was based on interviews with gig workers, case study analyses, and comprehensive literature reviews to assess how drivers are affected by state legislation and regulations, particularly Assembly Bill 5, Proposition 22, and Senate Bill 1014. The authors’ analysis examines the implications of these legislative measures on drivers' access to earnings, benefits, worker protections, and vehicle ownership models, within the context of California's greenhouse gas emission laws and the transition to all-electric vehicles.

In their study, the authors systematically examined the challenges faced by gig drivers and app-based platforms in California, noting that these issues are also relevant to drivers operating in other states. The research underscores persistent concerns related to worker classification, especially the implications of being categorized as independent contractors (ICs). This classification is commonly associated with lower wages, reduced worker protections, and limited access to benefits. Furthermore, the analysis draws attention to the ongoing complexities in distinguishing the flexibility inherent in IC roles from the characteristics of conventional employment relationships.

The paper provides an in-depth analysis of driver compensation models, highlighting that gig drivers receive payment exclusively for active trip periods, while intervals spent waiting between assignments are not compensated. This approach frequently leads to income variability. Additionally, the authors discuss the implications of Proposition 22, noting that applications now retain a larger share of fare revenue. Coupled with rising operational costs—including insurance, vehicle maintenance, repairs, and fuel—these developments have collectively diminished the profitability of driving for app-based companies.  

Their conclusions include a discussion of potential frameworks that state legislatures and the federal government could establish to set compensation and benefits standards for gig drivers, implement appropriate deactivation procedures, and facilitate the transition to electric vehicles through infrastructure development and grant programs supporting new vehicle purchases.

Matt Daus, President of the IATR, was consulted as a legal and regulatory expert during the development of this research, providing objective guidance on the statutory and policy frameworks governing app-based transportation services in California and beyond. His involvement focused on fact-checking relevant laws, regulatory structures, and enforcement approaches, and offering technical context regarding worker classification and oversight models within the broader regulatory landscape.

You can read the entire paper in Science Direct here.

In addition to their work on gig drivers, the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies recently released Mobility 10x: Accelerating Transportation Innovation in California research magazine. Focusing on the work done by the Resilient and Innovative Mobility Initiative (RIMI) over the last four years, Mobility 10x looks at issues surrounding sustainability, public transit, road safety, resiliency, and the workforce impacts of emerging modes of mobility.

The magazine is available here for download or as a flipbook here.

Congratulations to Susan Shaheen, Laura Podolsky, Brooke Wolfe, and Adam Cohen for these publications of their work on transportation issues of the past, present, and future. It is the work of academics and researchers that continues to play an important role in understanding how new technologies and innovations impact our multimodal transformation.

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