We are excited to announce our 39th Annual Conference of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR) is coming to Las Vegas, Nevada, from September 14th through September 17th, 2026. The theme of our 2026 conference is “AV City: Autonomous Mobility,” reflecting the rapid evolution of automated, connected, and electrified transportation systems and the critical role regulators play in shaping their future.

Las Vegas has always been a city built on bold vision and transformative infrastructure. What began as a desert rail stop evolved into a global tourism and convention capital supported by sophisticated airport operations, intelligent traffic systems, and large-scale event management logistics. Today, Las Vegas stands at the forefront of autonomous mobility. Nevada was the first state in the nation to authorize autonomous vehicle testing, and the region has become a national hub for robotaxi deployment, advanced driver assistance systems, and smart transportation investments.

Like the city itself, mobility in Las Vegas is fast-moving, innovative, and ambitious. However, innovation without governance is incomplete. As shared connected automated electric vehicles scale from pilot programs to broader deployment, regulators face complex and urgent questions involving safety oversight, insurance frameworks, accessibility mandates, workforce transition, fare affordability, sustainability goals, and public trust. These are not theoretical discussions. They are unfolding in real time across jurisdictions around the world.

Some of the topics that we will cover during the conference will include:

• IATR’s Guiding Principles for Robotaxi Testing & Deployment
• Autonomous Vehicle Policy Challenges & Solutions
• The Taxi, For-Hire & Bus Insurance Crisis
• Public Transit Partnerships with Taxis, FHVs and TNCs
• Regulatory Preparedness for Big Events

We are also looking forward to our annual International Regulator “Star Trek”. The full preliminary agenda can be found here.

Registration is now open for active members and associate/industry first-time attendees here. Non-members and other associate/industry partners should reach out to IATR Executive Director Kim Ramkishun at kramkishun@iatr.global or IATR Membership Director Eric Richardson at erichardson@iatr.global for further information. Sponsorships are also now available, and you can find the sponsorship menu here.

We hope you can join us in Las Vegas in September!

Image: EFE/Isaac Esquivel

An Uber driver taps accept and sees earnings show up quickly, while expenses quietly wait. A new study by the Inter-American Development Bank, conducted with Uber across eight countries, shows that most drivers have debt and no social security, exchanging quick pay for little stability.

The phone lights up with the next ride request. Accept. Another small number pops up, clear and bright, while the smell of gasoline fills the car and the day’s calculations start again. It’s not dramatic, just steady. This is the everyday reality behind the Inter-American Development Bank’s data.

Most Uber drivers in Latin America face economic challenges, carry debt, and don’t contribute to social security, according to a study by Uber and the Inter-American Development Bank across eight countries. The bank found that 88 percent of drivers lack financial security. 54% blamed unsafe working conditions, 34% cited economic pressure, and 75% said they live with debt.

The problem is that the platform feels like it’s constantly moving. Money comes fast, and work is always there. But the report shows security is weak. Only 30 percent of Uber drivers in the region were paying into a pension system when surveyed. The 2024 study gathered data from over 13,700 people in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

Source: Latin America Post

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Top Mamdani Deputy Mayor Doesn’t Rule Out Expanding Metered Parking to Help Close Budget Gap

First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top cabinet member, said on Thursday that expanding metered parking is among possible revenue raisers the administration is considering to help close a sizable budget gap and fund its priorities. Fuleihan, in response to an audience question during a March 5 event at New York Law School, did not rule out charging more New York City drivers to park on city streets. A similar idea to raise revenue from expanding metering and permit-parking was floated by the Center for an Urban Future think tank in a policy paper last month.        

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U.S. Agency to Hold Self-Driving Safety Forum with CEOs of Waymo, Zoox, Aurora

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will hold a national autonomous vehicle safety forum that will include the CEOs of self-driving companies Waymo, Zoox and Aurora on Tuesday. The Trump administration is looking for ways to speed deployment of robotaxis and address regulatory barriers, while also scrutinizing safety issues.

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Daylight Saving Time Can Cause 'Risk of Drowsy Driving.' Here's How to Stay Alert, AAA Says

"Spring forward" can cause sleep problems by disrupting the body’s internal clock, throwing off the ability to feel alert in the morning, according to the Sleep Foundation. The lack of rest can lead to drivers feeling drowsy after Sunday's time change. AAA Northeast spokesperson Lauren Fabrizi said in a news release that drowsy driving can be "just as dangerous as impaired driving," depending on a driver's level of fatigue.

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Partners Pledge $3.7M to Bring Auto, Mobility Innovation from 'Minds to Market'

Ontario has committed $17.5 million to expand its network of Regional Technology Development Sites (RTDS), unveiling Simcoe County, Barrie and Orillia among the province’s newest hubs for advanced automotive and smart mobility innovation. The announcement was made during a news conference Wednesday at the county’s administration centre in Midhurst.

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Halifax’s Micro-Mobility Pilot Scooting into 2026 with a Focus on Better Parking

Spring is just around the corner and with it comes the return of hundreds of brightly painted e-bikes and e-scooters across the municipality, the fruits of HRM’s zippy micro-mobility pilot. Brittney MacLean, the project’s manager, told Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners on Monday that the pilot is only a month or so away from resuming, with the service area expanding into its final phase in 2026. 

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Canada Developing Its Own Domestic Military Electric Motorcycle

Canadian mobility startup NorthForge has emerged with an ambitious goal: to develop a purpose-built electric military motorcycle designed for modern battlefields and extreme climates. The company, spun out of Alberta-based electric mobility firm eOutdoors Ltd., has launched with the mission of creating a fully Canadian-designed and manufactured light tactical electric vehicle platform. Its first project is the NorthForge Dispatch, an all-electric motorcycle intended for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

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Trade Without Borders – Why Drivers Need a Schengen Exemption

The EU is the UK’s biggest goods trade partner. The UK is the EU’s largest market after the USA and China, and the one it runs its biggest trade surplus with. In an increasingly volatile world, that relationship matters. Getting it right can support economic growth, job creation and regional security. But the relationship can be stronger. Goods trade remains around 18% lower since we left the EU, and we see pressures in our sector pushing those in the UK road freight sector away from international work.

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EU Pushes Barely Available Green Steel As Auto Emissions Fix

Buying expensive steel made with a nascent technology, opens new tab fuelled by green hydrogen that barely exists yet? That is the prospect facing Europe's automakers, already under pressure from intensifying Chinese competition, under European Union plans aimed at bolstering the bloc's steel ‌industry and still hitting its environmental targets.

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MAN Invests €300 Million in Service Network with Focus on E-Mobility

MAN aims to strengthen customer loyalty and attract new clients through expanded service offerings. The truck and bus manufacturer plans to grow its European service network, modernize existing sites and further improve service quality.

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China’s 10-Passenger Electric Aircraft, the Matrix, Hints at How Big Flying Taxis Can Be

A glimpse of what the future of flying taxis might look like can be seen in this southeastern Chinese city. In a hangar in Kunshan, more than 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) west of the port of Shanghai, a sort of gigantic drone was preparing for a demonstration. Called the Matrix, it’s a 5-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, considered the largest electric aircraft built so far, at least in China. The Chinese company AutoFlight, founded in 2017, developed the Matrix, which can carry up to 10 passengers. It has a 20-meter (about 66 foot) wingspan, and is 17.1 meters long and 3.3 meters tall. (56 feet long and 11 feet tall). It can travel for an hour without charging.

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Dodgy Taxi Drivers Warned As Grand Prix Enforcement Taskforce Rolls Out in Melbourne

A compliance blitz will target taxis and rideshare vehicles operating around this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, with state authorities deploying 25 officers to patrol key pick-up and drop-off zones. Safe Transport Victoria will lead the four-day operation, bringing together compliance, investigations and assurance staff in a coordinated effort aimed at deterring fare-related misconduct and unlicensed activity during one of Victoria’s largest annual events.

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Weego Raises $1.1m to Expand Mobility Platform across Africa

Weego, a Moroccan-Senegalese mobility startup, raised $1.1 million in a funding round led by Azur Innovation Fund to expand its transport platform across Africa. The company operates a mobility-as-a-service application that integrates different transport options into one interface. Users can access public transit, ride-hailing and other services through the platform.

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The International Transport Forum (ITF) 2026 Summit on "Funding Resilient Transport" takes place from May 6-8, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany, under the Presidency of Azerbaijan. This year's summit will be the world's largest gathering of transport ministers and the premier global transport policy event. The 2026 theme, "Funding Resilient Transport," is the second in the 2025-2027 ITF Summit trilogy on transport resilience.

The 2026 edition of the world's premier transport policy features three ITF Spotlight on Research Sessions as part of the official Summit program. The sessions bring together research experts, senior-level policy practitioners, and decision-makers to discuss and exchange ideas on the Summit theme.

The sessions aim to inform policy decisions by helping practitioners understand the increasing complexity of mobility systems. They raise awareness of the latest innovations and transformative technologies and critically assess the impacts of current and proposed policies.

2026 Summit sessions address:

• Physical infrastructure resilience
• Digital infrastructure resilience
• Cybersecurity resilience

Researchers wishing to present their work can now submit abstracts for consideration.

Abstracts are now due by March 16^th, 2026, and those interested in submitting abstracts or the event can go to Transportation Research Board - International Transport Forum (ITF) Summit

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2026:

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Renew your membership at http://www.iatr.global or email info@iatr.global for any questions!