The IATR was saddened to hear about the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, Jonathan Spear, who succumbed to a heart attack while in Vietnam on January 19th. Jonathan was a stalwart member of the World Road Association (PIARC), volunteering his connections and expertise as part of the PIARC COVID-19 response team, serving on project oversight teams, and leading the work of the PIARC technical committees.

Matt Daus, President of the IATR, Said, “Jonathan Spear was a trusted colleague and friend who left us way too soon. He was a brilliant mobility expert who worked tirelessly to think about and plan for a multi-modal, technology-driven future. We travelled the world together and collaborated on many projects for PIARC and IATR, and his untimely passing has left a hole in our hearts. Jonathan lived life to the fullest and it was a pleasure to work with him over the years, and to explore and travel with him. Jonathan was always great company, and his legacy will live on through his life’s work and impactful contributions to transportation policy-making around the globe. We will miss him, but will always cherish our memories together. May he rest in peace, as our thoughts and prayers go out to his loving family.”

Jonathan began his tenure at Atkins in January 2006, serving for 14 years as a director across international locations, including London, Dubai, and Singapore. In November 2019, he co-founded the UAE chapter of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), serving as chair until April 2023. Subsequently, he continued to contribute as a senior committee member, policy lead, and chair’s advisor until his passing. Additionally, since September 2020, Jonathan had served as a transportation policy and strategy advisor to AtkinsRealis.

His career led him to visit more than 50 countries on several occasions, including China, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Congo, Zambia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Switzerland, and Canada.

For Jonathan, travel was more than simply visiting new places – it was about truly experiencing what each destination had to offer. He immersed himself in different forms of transportation, explored local history and culture, and embraced challenges like climbing Indonesia's volcanic mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro, and reaching the base camp of Mount Everest.

Christos S. Xenophontos Assistant Director for Administrative Services at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, said, “Jonathan’s many contributions cannot be summarized in mere words in one page but can be found on the PIARC website where they will remain a testament of his brilliance. He loved tackling the most “wicked problems” and to develop solutions where others struggled to grasp the problem. He had the rare ability to dissect problems and get to their heart and to distill the most daunting complexities of transport policy into clear, tangible strategies. A fierce advocate for the principle that vision and objectives must always precede design — a philosophy that ensured his work was not just technically sound, but deeply meaningful — he was an active thought leader in PIARC TC 1.1’s work on “Envisioning the Transport Agency of the Future.” Jonathan was a titan in the field of transport policy and organization who made his mark across the globe. To the ones who had the great opportunity to get to know him, he was a loyal and caring friend who was always there when you needed him.”

IATR extends its sympathies to his wife, Michelle Wood, and his family, friends, and colleagues, and wishes them peace.

Image: AP Photo

Taxi drivers in Greece plan to launch an indefinite strike starting Tuesday, as Parliament prepares to debate controversial legislation they say threatens their livelihoods. The bill would require all new taxi registrations in Athens and Thessaloniki to be electric vehicles. It also allows private hire vehicles with drivers to operate under the same terms as taxis, a move union representatives say undermines public transportation. 

Speaking Monday on Parapolitika radio, SATA union chief Thymios Lymberopoulos said the strike would begin at 6 a.m. Tuesday and continue “until the law is passed.” He added that drivers plan a protest motorcade to Parliament and suggested that airport blockades are also under consideration.

“What else can we do when the state is effectively legislating the elimination of public transportation and handing it over to private interests?” Lymberopoulos said. “What can a professional do when their work is being taken and they are forced to operate under conditions that are fascist?”

He criticized Article 52 of the bill, saying it “effectively liberalizes the operation of private vehicles and undermines public transport,” and condemned the mandate that all taxis be electric. “What could be dirtier, what could be more fascist than imposing this law to serve private interests?” he added.

The union argues that the requirement to adopt electric vehicles should be postponed until charging infrastructure is adequately developed.

Source: Ekathimerini News

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Op-Ed: It’s Time for Us to Save Outdoor Dining

NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn writes: “Mayor Mamdani has challenged my agency to think big, be ambitious, and make our streetscape the envy of the world. That is why we will work with the City Council to rekindle the spark of outdoor dining — restoring year-round roadway dining and cutting red tape.”

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Experimental Flying Air Taxi Spotted over California As It ‘Nears Readiness’ for Commercial Passengers

One of Joby Aviation’s futuristic flying taxis officially completed a series of demonstration flights across the San Francisco Bay Area this week, the company announced in a press release on Friday, March 13. The company conducted the test flights to show that their air taxis, which are “all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircrafts,” are “nearing readiness” for commercial passenger use.

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Niantic Says Pokémon Go Data Now Being Used to Train Delivery Robots, As 'Getting Pikachu to Realistically Run Around' Is 'Actually the Same Problem'

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is using players' augmented reality data to help train delivery robots. Now rebranded as Niantic Spatial, the company has joined forces with robotic startup Coco to help its fleet of 1000 suitcase-sized delivery vehicles trundle safely through busy city streets — just as Pikachu might, if he were real.

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City of Toronto Rolls Out TSP for TTC Line 5, 6

Passengers across Line 6 Finch West and on the Line 5 Eglinton between Don Valley and Kennedy stations will soon experience reduced trip times thanks to the rollout of new transit signal priority (TSP) infrastructure at intersections on the street-level portions of each line.

The city of Toronto has made changes to traffic signals that allow light-rail transit (LRT) trains to move through intersections before left-turning traffic.

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Transport Canada Vows $90b Alto High-Speed Rail Project Will Not Go over Budget

Federal officials say Canada’s planned high-speed rail line in central Canada will stay on budget, despite warnings that megaprojects of similar scale routinely face delays and cost overruns. Blacklock's Reporter says in a report to senators, the Transport Canada department insisted the government’s proposed Alto rail system —expected to cost between $60 billion and $90 billion — will remain within its financial limits even as officials acknowledge the massive project will face challenges.

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Greater Victoria Receiving New Double-Decker Buses

BC Transit is rolling out the first two of 39 new double-decker buses that are coming to Greater Victoria in an effort to strengthen public transit across the region with safe and reliable transportation. The new Enviro 500 model Alexander Dennis buses will help customers move through high-demand routes, like the route 95 Blink RapidBus, which has over 11,000 daily boardings and connects people from Langford, Colwood, View Royal and Saanich to Victoria and back.

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London Taxi Knowledge Students Face a Staggering Possibility of 40 MILLION Different Questions during Knowledge Exam Process

New analysis circulating among London’s taxi training community suggests that candidates studying for the capital’s famous Knowledge examination face the theoretical possibility of more than 40 million different appearance-based questions during assessments.

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Paris Hosts First-Quarter Meetings of International Transport Forum under Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship

Member countries hailed Azerbaijan’s efforts to strengthen dialogue on global transport policy, enhance international transport links, and promote sustainable transport systems.

The meetings focused on the organization’s work program, strategic priorities for the upcoming period, and key directions for the development of global transport policy. The event also addressed program and preparatory matters for the ITF Summit, to be held under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship in Leipzig, Germany, on May 6–8. The annual summit is considered the largest platform for transport ministers and sector leaders. This year’s event will focus on the theme “Financing Sustainable Transport.”

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Expansion of Taxi Service Bolt to Include Kerry

Taxi service, Bolt, is set expand its operations to Kerry. The recent development will extend the ride-hailing service to 21 additional counties. The rollout comes after the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) called on the Government to ease taxi market regulations. The Commission’s research found that 57% of people across Ireland believe there are not enough taxis in their area. This marks Bolt’s first expansion in the Irish market since 2022, when it was introduced to Cork; the taxi app was originally launched in Dublin in 2020.

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Iconic Aussie Taxi Company Goes Bust after More than 70 Years on the Road

Manly Warringah Cabs — better known as Manly Cabs — has been forced off the road after administrators ordered the entire fleet to stop operating immediately. The shock move came on Friday, when drivers received a letter from administrators CRS Insolvency Services Australia informing them the long-running taxi co-operative had ceased operating.

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Government to Set Taxi Fares for Bolt, Uber in Kenya

Kenya’s government is planning a major shake-up in the ride-hailing market by introducing a national taxi pricing model that could force companies like Uber and Bolt to follow state-approved fares. The move is aimed at stabilising prices in the digital taxi sector, which has been marked by aggressive price wars and fluctuating fares for passengers.

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South Africa: Taxi Associations Blame KZN Transport Department for Ongoing Conflict

The KwaMaphumulo and the KwaDukuza taxi associations say the KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department must shoulder some of the blame for the ongoing conflict between the two groups. This follows a meeting that provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi convened with the aim of finding a solution to the conflict over routes. Chairperson of the KwaMaphumulo Taxi Association Sphamandla Mhlongo says the department’s delay to intervene has contributed to the problem.

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Image: H S MANJUNATH

The Maharashtra government has temporarily suspended the issuance of new permits for auto-rickshaws and taxis over the past two days as it moves to introduce a uniform regulatory framework for passenger transport, including electric vehicles while commercial e-rickshaws and e-bikes will require licences to operate.

State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the government has decided to make it mandatory for e-rickshaws and e-bikes engaged in passenger transport to obtain proper registration and permits from the Motor Vehicles Department, bringing them under the same regulatory structure as conventional vehicles. Until now, electric rickshaws were not required to obtain a separate permit for passenger transport. However, with the rapid growth of electric mobility, the government has decided to enforce a permit system for such vehicles as well to ensure uniform rules across the sector.

According to Sarnaik, the new policy aims to establish parity between traditional auto-rickshaws, taxis and emerging electric mobility services, while improving transparency and reducing irregularities in passenger transport operations.

Source: Hindu Business Line

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