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Daily Transportation News
January 8, 2026
| | | London TfL Can Only Encourage, Not Compel, Councils to Allow Taxis Access to Restricted Streets Despite Driver Investment in Electric Cabs | |
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Concerns over restricted street access for licensed taxi drivers were raised again at City Hall after the Mayor reiterated that London boroughs retain control over whether black cabs can use roads subject to traffic restrictions, despite significant investment by drivers in electric vehicles.
The issue was raised via a written Mayor’s Questions by Keith Prince, who argued that councils - local government entities that provide public services - are forcing black cab drivers into longer routes that increase congestion, emissions and passenger fares. Prince questioned how this approach could be justified given that drivers have spent tens of thousands of pounds upgrading to electric taxis to meet clean air policies.
In a written response, the Mayor said that Transport for London (TfL) encourages boroughs to consider allowing taxi access to any streets where buses are permitted. However, he stressed that final decisions rest with individual councils, not TfL or City Hall.
The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, said boroughs are responsible for deciding whether vehicles, including taxis, can use routes where motor traffic access is restricted. These decisions, he added, are taken based on local circumstances and the objectives of specific traffic or neighborhood schemes.
The response also highlighted that boroughs have a duty to engage with stakeholders and local communities when implementing such schemes, and to consider feedback as part of their decision making. TfL’s role, according to the Mayor, is limited to encouragement and guidance rather than enforcement.
The issue remains a point of tension between licensed taxi drivers and local authorities, particularly as the capital continues to roll out low traffic neighborhoods and other traffic reduction measures. For many drivers, the argument centers on fairness, with investment in zero emission capable taxis often cited as being undermined by operational constraints imposed at borough level.
Source: TaxiPoint UK
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| Delhi Govt Agrees in Principle to Allow Private EVs to Run as Shared Taxis | |
Image: The New Indian Express | |
The Delhi government has agreed in principle to allow privately owned EVs to operate as shared taxis. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said relevant rules would be amended and an effective mechanism put in place to address concerns raised by companies.
Gupta on Friday said the Delhi government is working on a special strategy covering EV charging infrastructure, use of solar energy and management of battery waste to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce pollution in the capital. She was speaking at a meeting with automobile manufacturers and aggregator companies such as Ola, Uber and Rapido, convened to encourage wider public adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and promote shared mobility in Delhi.
“Effective and sustainable control of pollution in Delhi is possible only by reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. Transport companies must actively support the government’s mission so that Delhi can move rapidly towards becoming a Viksit Delhi,” the CM said. The meeting at the Delhi Secretariat was attended by Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, senior transport department officials, representatives of automobile manufacturers including Tata Motors, Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Toyota and Honda, and officials from aggregator platforms.
Gupta said the fight against pollution would require both immediate steps and long-term strategies. She added that while the government is willing, in principle, to provide facilitation, flexibility in rules and resolution of industry issues, companies must also offer concessions that make EVs and shared mobility more attractive to the public.
Vehicle manufacturers told the chief minister that large-scale deployment of EVs and a people-centric EV policy were essential for meaningful pollution control. They sought concessions to strengthen charging infrastructure, saying this would significantly boost EV adoption. Responding to this, Gupta said the government is ready to provide land for setting up charging stations but stressed that companies must also explore solar-powered charging solutions.
Source: The New Indian Express
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USDOT Announces NOFO for University Transportation Centers Program
USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced $33 million in funding for the department’s University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed to advance transportation science and innovation to solve for tomorrow’s problems before they crop up. In May, Secretary Duffy terminated seven university grants totaling $54 million for funding initiatives that did not align with the administration’s priorities. The grant program has been reshaped to prioritize innovative ways to increase safety on American transportation, including through automated vehicles and driving systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital infrastructure and human-machine interface technologies.
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Rideshare Congestion Zone Fee Increases, Expands to Cover Most of North Side, Hyde Park
The city hiked its rideshare tax on Tuesday and expanded its congestion surcharge zone from downtown to cover most of the North Side and Hyde Park. Riders getting picked up or dropped off in the zone — now spanning generally from Foster Avenue to 31st Street to Western Avenue, as well as a second zone covering Hyde Park — will now pay an added $1.50 per ride, in addition to the city’s flat $1.13 tax on rideshares. For shared rides, the weekday congestion zone fee is 60 cents, covering the same expanded zones. The city did not change its $5 rideshare tax on rides coming or going to McCormick Place, Navy Pier and the city’s airports. The changes were part of Chicago’s 2026 budget, which modified the city’s existing rideshare fees that went into effect in 2020 to cut down on traffic, and included a surcharge zone that covered the Loop.
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Pace Opens Illinois Charging Depot
Pace Suburban Bus has completed the first phase of a project aimed at converting a portion of Illinois’ public transport fleet to utilize solely battery-electric vehicles. On December 23 2025; the agency’s new large-scale bus charging depot was officially opened by a number of state leaders, enabling emission-free transport for the state. The depot features 10 pedestal chargers and high-speed charging capability, marking the first step toward the agency’s overall goal of converting a set of 60 North Division buses.
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Toronto Studying Possible 7-Km Trail under the Gardiner Expressway
A study is underway that brings the city one step closer to implementing a seven-kilometer multi-use trail under the Gardiner Expressway. The study, which launched in December, is expected to be completed before the end of the year and will inform the planning of the trail, according to Ilana Altman, CEO of The Bentway, a non-profit that works to improve urban public spaces and is working with the city on the project. “The Gardiner for a long time has been a critical mobility corridor in the city for cars,” she said. “But there's no reason why the space below can't serve our city better.”
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Edmonton Adds 30 Transit Peace Officers to Improve Safety, Public Perception
By July, the City of Edmonton says it will have 30 more peace officers dedicated to public transit. That means it will have a total of 126 transit peace officers dedicated to buses, the LRT and transit centers. “We are collectively committed to a safe and reliable transit system,” said David Jones, Edmonton’s chief bylaw enforcement officer.
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Loyalist Township Introduces New Amherst Island Ferry Transit Card, Higher Fares
Changes have been made in 2026 to the Amherst Island Ferry, including its fares. Those looking to use the transit system between Millhaven and Amherst Island will see a slight rise in fees. … Also new for 2026, the township has introduced a transit card, which replaces the previous 25-bulk ticket package. According to Loyalist Township the new reloadable transit card will make fare payment more convenient and flexible for riders.
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UK: CMAC Group Partners with Taxi Comparison Service Minicabit
The announcement explains that the partnership brings Minicabit’s taxi and private hire comparison technology into CMAC’s wider transport ecosystem, allowing users to access and compare licensed taxi and private hire options through a single platform.
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Italy Braces for 24-Hour National Rail Strike This Weekend
Italy’s national rail network is set for 24 hours of disruption as FSGroup, Trenitalia and Trenord staff stage a nationwide strike from 9:00 PM on Friday, January 9, to 9:00 PM on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
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Debunking the Myths of Open-Loop Payments in Transit
Open-loop payments have grown in popularity due to their perceived convenience, speed and ease of use, allowing riders to simply tap their preferred bank card for travel. While their appeal is driven by the promise of a modern, user-friendly experience, open-loop technology has numerous drawbacks, such as implementation challenges, integration costs and ongoing transaction fees. In this article, I’ll share my perspective on the subject, debunk some common myths and offer agencies advice on achieving the best results with the technology.
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Transport Panel Finds Multiple Violations by All 3 Bike Taxi Operators in Mumbai Metropolitan Region
A committee of the Maharashtra Transport Department has found multiple violations of laid-down norms by all three bike taxi operators – Ola, Uber and Rapido – operating in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), as per the State Transport Authority (STA). These violations include the use of non-electric and private bikes, charging fares higher than the approved rates, ferrying passengers beyond the permissible distance, and appointing riders without police verification.
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Flying Taxis? China Has Them. And Drone Lunch Deliveries, Too.
China’s experiments in clean energy can feel like living in the future. Even when things don’t quite work. As an American reporter living in Beijing, I’ve watched both China and the rest of the world flirt with cutting-edge technologies involving robots, drones and self-driving vehicles. But China has now raced far beyond the flirtation stage. It’s rolling out fleets of autonomous delivery trucks, experimenting with flying cars and installing parking lot robots that can swap out your EV’s dying battery in just minutes. There are drones that deliver lunch by lowering it from the sky on a cable. If all that sounds futuristic and perhaps bizarre, it also shows China’s ambition to dominate clean energy technologies of all kinds, not just solar panels or battery-powered cars, then sell them to the rest of the world. China has incurred huge debts to put trillions of dollars into efforts like these, along with the full force of its state-planned economy.
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Private Bus Fares Surge Ahead of Sankranti in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
As travel demand increases ahead of the Sankranti festival, passengers heading to their hometowns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are facing steep increases in private bus fares on major interstate routes. Despite regulations requiring fares to be same as TGSRTC bus services, several private operators are reportedly charging multiple times the normal rates.
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| | NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Celebrate 1 Year of Congestion Pricing | |
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated one year of congestion pricing on Monday. The two were joined by MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, as the agency released new data showing the results so far.
According to the MTA, traffic in the congestion zone is down by 11% since the start of the program, with 27 million fewer cars entering the zone in 2025. Hochul said travel times through the Lincoln and Holland tunnels are both down. "This is a program that has been successful…Anyone trying to kill this program, tell it to the judge, because they're going to be on our side," Hochul said.
In total, according to Hochul, congestion pricing raised about $550 million for the MTA in 2025, $50 million more than originally projected. "So to those individuals who are driving in, their quality of life has improved as well, and I'm really proud of that, and I hope they understand what this program did for them," Hochul said. "
This is a program that has been successful no matter how you measure it," Mamdani said.
"This is good government in action," Lieber said. "This demonstrates what business-like government management can accomplish."
Source: CBS New York
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Message from IATR President Matthew W. Daus
At the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR), our regulators are at the forefront of addressing both the challenges and opportunities facing the mobility paradigm. Our IATR members, partner organizations, and regulated industries will continue on our shared quest to fulfill the mission of our non-profit educational organization - to bring about Multi-Modal Mobility Innovation for All! This mission can best be accomplished through information sharing, collaboration, identifying and promoting best practices, and educating our membership. These educational updates and electronic media clips are affectionately known as “IATR snips” and endeavor to cover all aspects of mobility around the globe - especially news and developments involving safety, technology innovation, multi-modal integration, automation, sustainability, electrification, accessibility, regulatory modernization, and equity.
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