Andrew Glass Hastings, Executive Director of the Open Mobility Foundation

IATR is pleased to welcome Andrew Glass Hastings and the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) as its newest advisory board member.

On joining the IATR Advisory Board, Andrew Glass Hastings said, "In the transportation industry as in life, nothing gets done without collaboration and partnership. At the core of the OMF is public agencies and private companies co-creating the digital mobility tools of tomorrow in a collaborative forum. The opportunities and challenges for cities and shared mobility operators have never been greater! This is why partnership between the OMF and IATR is so important, and why I am honored and thrilled to work with Matt, the IATR team and the other Advisory Board members as we explore new collaborations and partnership for better urban mobility around the world."

Matt Daus, IATR President, said, “We are delighted to welcome Andrew Glass Hastings and the Open Mobility Foundation to the IATR Advisory Board. Andrew has been a leading voice in helping cities navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging mobility technologies, bringing together government agencies, private-sector innovators, and community stakeholders to develop practical solutions for the public good. The Open Mobility Foundation has helped establish important frameworks for managing shared mobility, data governance, and multimodal transportation systems. As regulators increasingly rely on data-driven tools to oversee evolving transportation networks, Andrew and OMF will provide valuable expertise that will help IATR members advance safe, efficient, transparent, and sustainable mobility policies around the world.”

Andrew Glass Hastings brings extensive experience spanning the public and private sectors. Over the past two decades, he has led transportation funding campaigns, advised mayors and company leaders, and helped establish one of the first new mobility teams within a city department of transportation. As Executive Director of the Open Mobility Foundation, he leads a public-private partnership in which cities and companies collaborate to develop the open-source data standards and digital tools needed to modernize infrastructure, manage mobility across modes, and support safer, more sustainable urban communities.

The Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) is an open-source standards development organization that provides governance for open mobility tools, including the Mobility Data Specification (MDS) and the companion Curb Data Specification (CDS). Through this framework, OMF offers a trusted and effective forum for municipalities, companies, technical experts, privacy and policy specialists, and the public to help shape urban mobility tools that enable public agencies to manage shared mobility, digitize public space, and advance their policy goals. While MDS adoption initially took hold around the management and exchange of information and digital policy for micromobility, it is now used by cities around the world to manage taxis, robotaxis, car share, sidewalk delivery robots and more.

IATR’s advisory board continues to expand, with new members from ITS America, IRF Global, the European Commission Joint Research Centre, ERITCO, and PIARC joining in recent weeks. Current board members also include Together for Safer Roads, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC), and the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Accreditation Commission (NEMTAC). In the coming weeks, IATR will announce additional board members as it broadens its work in support of safe sustainable multimodal mobility.

Image: Uber

Uber revealed on Wednesday a prototype car that it plans to use to scoop up real-world driving data for its growing roster of autonomous vehicle partners, including Avride, Waymo, and WeRide.

The vehicle is not some radical design. Rather, it’s a Hyundai Ioniq 5 fitted with an incredible number of sensors on the top and sides, as the company first told TechCrunch back in January. The sensor-laden vehicle may not look particularly groundbreaking, but it does mark a few milestones for the company.

This is the first vehicle Uber has assembled itself (with help from a partner) since the company sold its autonomous vehicle division to Aurora in 2020. It also represents progress on Uber’s new AV Labs division, which launched earlier this year to use sensor-equipped Uber cars to collect and then share data with its 30-and-counting autonomous vehicle technology partners.

Uber said Wednesday that it plans to roll out 500 of these kitted-out Hyundai EVs globally this year. That fleet will be able to collect “2 million miles per month of high-fidelity data” for robotaxis. Uber expects 50 of these vehicles to be on the road by the summer.

Source: Tech Crunch

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Waymo Ojai Robotaxi Adds More Space and a Steering Wheel for Nervous Riders

Waymo has decided to make driverless taxis a less daunting prospect with its Ojai (pronounced Oh-hai) robotaxi. On the outside, it's just a boxy, blue minivan with a few sensors and automatic sliding doors, which open the portal to a far roomier cabin than its previous offerings or even Tesla's Robotaxi can offer. In order not to alienate skeptical newbies on their maiden autonomously driven voyage, there's still a steering wheel. Inside, the Ojai abandons the cramped, converted-car feel of earlier Waymo vehicles.

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Bill Regulating Electric Transportation Devices Heads to Pritzker’s Desk

New legislation is heading to Governor Pritzker’s desk that establishes the state’s first framework to regulate electric transportation devices, such as e-bikes and e-scooters. Senate Bill 3484 is the cornerstone of the Ride Safe, Ride Smart, Ride Ready campaign from the Secretary of State’s office.

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Chicago Tacks on Surcharge for Taxi Rides Amid Fuel Cost Rises

Chicago taxi riders will now see higher fares thanks to a new fuel surcharge to help drivers offset rising gas prices amid the war in Iran. The temporary Taxi Fuel Surcharge Fee took effect in Chicago Monday and applies to all licensed taxi rides, the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection revealed in a news release.

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Vancouver's Black Top Taxis Launches Regional Fixed-Rate Ride-Hailing App

This week, Black Top & Checker Cabs launched a brand-new smartphone app-based ride-hailing service called RiLo, which provides the major Vancouver-based taxi company with a supplemental business operation in addition to their traditional taxi service. The app — available on both iOS and Android — has an interface that feels highly familiar and intuitive in terms of its user friendliness. The platform loads quickly and provides on-demand, end-to-end trip booking capabilities, the ability to pre-book rides three weeks in advance, and the real-time live tracking of taxi vehicles under the company.

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New East-West Water Shuttle Opens to Public Friday on Toronto's Waterfront

Toronto is unveiling a new water shuttle that runs along the city's waterfront. The East-West Water Shuttle Pilot, officially launched by Waterfront Toronto, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority, opens to the public on Friday. The shuttle has three stops in Toronto's inner harbour: the Portland Slip, Yonge Slip and Ookwemin Minising at Biidaasige Park.

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Popular Transit App Offers Free Premium Trip-Planning Features for Metro Vancouver Riders Ahead of FIFA World Cup

Metro Vancouver public transit users have now gained free access to premium trip-planning tools on a popular smartphone app, as TransLink expands its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Uber Launches Search for Leader to Drive “Rapid Growth” Stage in London Black Cab Expansion

Uber is recruiting a senior manager to lead the expansion of its UK taxi business, placing London’s black cab sector at the centre of its growth plans. The newly advertised Driver Operations Manager role will take full responsibility for Uber’s UK taxi business performance, with a particular focus on London Black Cabs. The successful candidate will oversee driver recruitment, engagement and retention, rider demand initiatives, strategic partnerships and relationships with key industry stakeholders.

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Private Hire Vehicle Firm Veezu Acquires Strategic Stake in Cab9

Cardiff headquartered and the UK’s fastest-growing private hire vehicle venture, Veezu, has acquired a stake in leading booking and dispatch technology provider Cab9. London-MMbased Cab9, which provides its tech platform to hire and taxi operators across the UK and internationally, will continue to operate under its existing brand and leadership, with chief executive Tarpit Grover remaining in position.

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Sweden Transit Fares: Slashed to Get Cars Off the Road

The Swedish government has announced a 50% reduction in the price of monthly public transit passes for the second half of 2026. The measure, which takes effect July 1 and runs through the end of December, is part of Stockholm’s broader strategy to address the energy crisis and rising fuel prices tied to developments in the Middle East. According to reporting by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the government aims both to ease the financial burden on citizens and to curb fuel consumption by encouraging more people to use buses and trains instead of private cars.

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Green SM Launches Green SM Limo, A Fully Electric Taxi Service in India

Green SM officially launched Green SM Limo in New Delhi today, marking the company's entry into India, one of the world's largest and most dynamic mobility markets. With this milestone, India becomes Green SM's fifth international market, following Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Green SM leaders, joined by representatives from Indian government agencies, the Vietnamese Embassy in India, and distinguished guests, ceremonially pressed the launch button to officially mark the debut of Green SM's fully electric taxi services in India.

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Russia Delivers Moskvich Cars for Havana’s Taxi Fleet

Moscow will deliver 50 Moskvich cars for Havana’s taxi fleet. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko announced Thursday. During the Russia-Cuba business dialogue at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

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Fiji Taxi Association Calls for Fare Increase amid Rising Fuel Costs

The Fiji Taxi Association is calling for a fare increase, saying rising fuel prices and the growing number of illegal operators are putting significant financial pressure on them. President Mohammad Faiyaz says the current flagfall rate is $2, while the waiting charge remains at 10 cents. He says the Association is seeking an increase in the waiting charge to 15 cents and submission has been made to the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission.

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Image: Visit London

Passengers could book taxi and bus-style self-driving vehicles later this year, as applications open today for operators to run cars across Great Britain.

The pilot scheme will enable firms – including British self-driving technology company Wayve – to bring the technology to British roads, with the government projecting thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds of economic value by 2035.

Services could support greater freedom and independence for older and disabled people, as well as expanding travel options across work and leisure.

Human error currently contributes to 88% of collisions on UK roads, and the government says self-driving technology has the potential to reduce that figure.

Safety will be central to the pilot, which will gather real-world evidence on how self-driving vehicles operate on everyday roads, from navigating busy urban streets to interacting with traffic and carrying passengers. Services will be subject to approval checks by government, including safety assessments covering cyber and security threats.

“Self-driving vehicles represent a transformative opportunity for Britain, opening up independent travel for disabled people and older adults, whilst driving growth and creating high-skilled jobs across the UK,” says Simon Lightwood, roads and buses minister. “This pilot scheme brings that future closer, giving passengers the opportunity to experience self-driving travel first-hand while ensuring safety always comes first.”

Source: TTI

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