In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we will not be publishing this newsletter on January 19th and will return on January 20th.

Image: Tovima

Taxi services across Greece remained disrupted on Thursday, January 15, as drivers entered the third consecutive day of strike action, escalating protests against new government policies affecting the sector. Taxi unions have announced rolling 48-hour strikes, with mandatory electrification of vehicles cited as a key point of contention.

As part of the latest mobilization, drivers [formed] a vehicle convoy aimed at the prime minister’s office in central Athens. Taxis [gathered] at 10 a.m. outside the offices of the Athens Taxi Drivers’ Union before setting off in an organized procession.

The strike follows a large demonstration on Wednesday, when taxis formed a convoy through major avenues of the capital before reaching the Ministry of Transport. Speaking at the protest, the union’s president said drivers are determined to continue their action and accused the government of attempting to divide the sector.

Taxi representatives argue that the new measures place an unfair financial burden on drivers and were introduced without adequate consultation. With no resolution announced so far, further disruptions are expected as talks between the government and taxi unions remain stalled.

Source: Tovima

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From Left: Victoria Sheehan, Executive Director of TRB; Matt Daus, President, IATR; Seval Oz, USDOT Office of the Secretary Research and Technology, Senior Advisor, Assistant Secretary Nominee; Michael Rutherford, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy at U.S. DOT at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

During the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Week in Washington, D.C., Matt Daus, President of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR), was invited by H.E. Szabolcs Takács, Ambassador of Hungary to the United States, and his spouse Ms. Emese Gaál, for an exclusive breakfast at the Embassy of Hungary, along with leadership from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and TRB. The purpose of this small gathering of key international leaders was to discuss the upcoming Transport Research Arena (TRA) set to take place in Budapest from May 18–21, 2026.

This world-class event will feature participation from over 70 countries, attract thousands of attendees, and has already received more than 1,500 abstracts for consideration. Key themes for the conference include designing transportation systems that promote safe, accessible, and shared mobility; identifying pathways toward zero-emission, climate-neutral modes of transport; enhancing advanced networks through artificial intelligence, automation, and emerging technologies; and leveraging data to better understand and improve the functioning and adaptability of transportation systems.

As Europe's largest transport research and innovation conference, TRA will transform Budapest into a forum where academics, government representatives, regulators and policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders from every mode of transport—road, rail, water, air, and even space—can come together to strengthen their connections.

IATR is dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Hungarian Ministry of Construction and Transport, ECTRI, and other partners in ensuring TRA 2026 is a success. During the TRB Conference and at the Embassy event, TRB leadership acknowledged IATR and its new partnership with TRB to work together on key initiatives – like the TRA. 

To learn more about TRA 2026, visit https://traconference.eu/.

MTS Board Votes to Oppose Driverless Taxis in San Diego

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board of Directors voted 12-1 on Thursday, Jan. 15, to oppose the expansion of driverless taxis and rideshares in the region until adequate oversight and regulations are in place. The vote comes as companies such as Waymo seek to launch robotaxi service in San Diego. The board urged state leaders to restore local authority over whether autonomous vehicles can operate in their jurisdictions.

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Transit Leaders Could Develop Chicago Area Police Force Next Year under New Transit Law

Transit leaders could vote to create a regional transit police force next January, and new “transit ambassadors” could be monitoring the CTA, Metra and Pace by July of next year. By this November, commuters should have a regional transit app to file complaints and report crimes. Those are some of the new security measures required in the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, signed last month by Gov. JB Pritzker, which will overhaul the metro’s transit system. The Regional Transportation Authority laid out an updated timeline of the measures at its Thursday board meeting. Nothing changes until the law goes into effect June 1. That’s when the law eliminates the RTA board and replaces it with a NITA board, which will have new powers over policy and fare setting.

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What It Would Take to Put America First in Transit Again

It's not too late for Americans to get the world-class transit networks they deserve — and it wouldn't take as long or cost as much as we spent building the highway system, a new analysis finds. A new analysis from Transportation for America found that a $4.6-trillion "moonshot" over the next 20 years would be enough to bring the transit networks in most American cities up to par with world-class communities like Berlin, Paris, Oslo and Buenos Aires, which all have more than 115 transit vehicles on the street and underground per 100,000 residents — not to mention excellent service and dedicated rights-of-way to match.

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Canada Agrees to Cut Tariff on Chinese EVs in Return for Lower Tariffs on Canadian Farm Products

Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to about 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its total tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.

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Toronto Confirms C$2·3 Billion Single-Source Order for Canadian-Built Metro Trains

Toronto Transit Commission has placed a C$2·3bn directly-awarded contract for a fleet of 70 metro trains be supplied by Alstom, as the only company able to build the trains in Canada. Click Here to Read More

Can Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa's LRTs Withstand Canadian Winters?

When David St-Pierre saw the snow outside his window in Brossard, Que., south of Montreal, he decided to chance the metropolitan region's shiny light-rail transit system once more. St-Pierre was among the thousands of commuters relying on new light-rail transit systems in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa who were disappointed Thursday, when all three cities saw their new train lines face either complete or partial shutdowns after a heavy overnight snowfall. "I kind of rolled the dice," said St-Pierre, who waited 50 minutes at the REM Brossard station before a train finally arrived. 

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The Cabildo Presents the Taxi Ranks It Intends to Implement Throughout the Island

LANZAROTE, SPAIN - The Cabildo presented this Thursday the design of what it intends to be the new taxi ranks throughout the island to "homogenize" their image. The drafting of the project was awarded for 14,900 euros to the company Laboratorio de Planeamiento y Arquitectura, S.L.P, of the urban planner architect Juan Palop-Casado, who attended the presentation together with the president, Pedro San Ginés, and the Minister of Transport, Patricia Pérez. "It is not as such an infrastructure or urban furniture. It is an architectural infrastructure converted into a garden that builds landscape and integrates into it, also converting the taxi rank space into a public space," said Palop.

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Milan Commuters Face 24-Hour Metro and Bus Walk-Out

Although AL-COBAS represents a minority of ATM staff, its actions have grown more frequent since late 2025 over demands for wage alignment with national rail contracts. Talks are scheduled for 22 January; failure could trigger further strikes timed around Fashion Week in February.

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Germany to Offer up to $7,000 Electric Vehicle Subsidy

Germany will offer families with small and medium incomes subsidies of up to $7,000 to buy new electric cars, newspaper Bild reported on Friday, in a bid by Berlin to revive sluggish sales of one of the country's key industries. German carmakers are struggling with the transition to electric vehicles, experiencing significantly lower demand than initially expected. The government is planning new subsidies of between 1,500 and 6,000 euros ($1,700-$7,000), Bild reported, citing the Environment Ministry. There was no mention in the Bild report of any local production requirements for the subsidy.

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Price Hike Eyed for Tokyo Taxis

Taxis in Tokyo’s 23 wards and its cities will increase their fares by around 10%, partly to raise income for taxi drivers. The transportation ministry submitted plans to a consumers’ committee under the Cabinet Office meeting on Wednesday to increase overall revenue by an estimated 10.14%. One revision will shorten the distance that passengers can travel with the ¥500 ($3.15) base fare, so what used to be 1.096 kilometers will go down to 1 km.

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Delhi Metro to Start Bike Taxis, Autos and Cabs from These 10 Stations from January 31

Delhi Metro commuters will soon get easier rides home. From January 31, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will start offering bike taxis, auto-rickshaws and cab services from 10 busy metro stations to improve last-mile connectivity, a TOI report stated. The move aims to cut waiting time after exiting metro stations and offer a smoother door-to-door travel option for daily passengers. The service will begin at stations near major market hubs such as Lajpat Nagar, Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Nehru Place and Millennium City Centre.

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DoT Wants Breathalyzers in Taxi Industry and Total Ban on Drinking and Driving

A total ban on any drinking and driving is coming for South African motorists, while breathalyzers are to be installed in taxi vehicles that will prevent drivers who have been drinking from operating the vehicle. South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) President Abnar Tsebe said on Thursday the breathalyzers are to be installed in taxi vehicles “immediately”, with the focus on long-distance taxis “for now”, especially ahead of the Easter holidays. Speaking at a briefing on the 2025/26 festive season road safety performance, Tsebe said that before a taxi driver takes a trip, they must do “a breathalyzer”, which will be linked to the vehicle. If it shows the driver has been drinking alcohol, the vehicle will not start.

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From Left: Midori Valdivia, Nominee to be Commissioner and Chair of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission; Matt Daus, President, IATR

Matt Daus, President of the International Association of Transportation Regulators, and former NYC TLC Commissioner/Chair/CEO, said, 

“Congratulations to my friend and colleague Midori Valdivia on NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s nomination to serve as our next NYC Taxi & Limousine Commissioner/Chair. As the longest serving Chair myself, I know exactly how challenging this job is firsthand. Without question, Midori definitely has an amazing skill set and probably has more diverse prior multi-modal mobility experience than every chair before her. She is hardworking, dedicated, ethical, and — with her prior management experience — knows how to do the job, and is ready to lead. 

I would like to also thank my friend and outgoing Commissioner David Do, who stabilized this agency and promoted so many great environmental initiatives and Vision Zero efforts. Not only does David know Midori well, but everyone in the industry should be pleased to know that he has pledged a smooth transition. 

While the industry has no shortage of stakeholders and opinions, the keys to success are having the right experience and temperament, and to engage with everyone — even if there is a policy disagreement. I am confident that Midori will take the agency to the next level. I have worked with her in the past in the private sector, and I look forward to embracing and supporting her candidacy before the NYC Council, and, thereafter, working with her as a member and supporter of the IATR. 

Congratulations and Godspeed to our next TLC Chair, Midori Valdivia!”

From Left: David Do, Former Commissioner and Chair, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission; Matt Daus, President, IATR

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