Image: ABC7

The Port Authority plans to flood the city's airports with police officers ahead of the World Cup to flush out unlicensed taxi scammers who notoriously overcharge tourists for illegal cab rides.

The agency’s leaders announced a new $100 million initiative called “Operation Legal Ride” on Tuesday morning, four days before MetLife Stadium hosts its first of eight World Cup matches.

Illegal taxi drivers, often known as “hustlers,” have for decades preyed on unsuspecting tourists at the city’s transportation hubs, primarily the airports. In many cases, they lure travelers into their cars, and charge them hundreds of dollars more than what is legally allowed.

Port Authority data shows the problem has been growing in recent years. The agency’s police department issued 2,602 summons for illegal taxi solicitation in 2025, almost double from the previous year.

Hustling at the city’s airports has grown more sophisticated in recent years, with scammers coordinating at terminals in a system that uses illegal dispatchers carrying walkie-talkies to funnel tourists into fake cabs waiting outside.

These enhanced enforcement efforts by the Port Authority align with the findings and recommendations of a recent report authored by Matt Daus at the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC), in collaboration with CTANJ and the Black Car Assistance Corporation (BCAC), titled Addressing Unlicensed and Illegal Ride Hailing in the NY/NJ Metro Region.

The report examines the persistent challenges of illegal ride-hailing and taxi solicitation in major transportation hubs like New York’s airports. The report highlights the safety risks, consumer protection concerns, and regulatory gaps that allow these operations to persist, while outlining a range of practical enforcement and policy solutions. As the Port Authority advances initiatives like “Operation Legal Ride,” it is clear that the agency is listening to these concerns and moving toward a more coordinated, technology-driven enforcement strategy.

Source: Gothamist

Click Here to Read More

Image: LM Otero

Amy Cohen, Founder and President of Families for Safe Streets, writes in an opinion piece for The Hill:

Speed-limiting technology has been used in commercial truck fleets for decades. The newest generation can be installed in nearly all modern passenger vehicles.

This month, the Governors Highway Safety Association, the nonprofit organization representing the state officials whose job is to keep our roads safe, released a major report endorsing the technology for convicted speeders. The report’s central finding is straightforward: Intelligent Speed Assistance works, as pilot programs have demonstrated.

In New York City, 894,938 miles driven with Intelligent Speed Assistance showed 99.74 percent compliance with speed limits and a 36 percent reduction in hard braking events (often indicators of unsafe driving). A pilot involving 10 small school buses in the District of Columbia logged 10,000 miles in three months without a single speeding event.

In 2024, 11,288 people were killed in speeding-related crashes — 29 percent of all traffic fatalities. Memorial Day marked the beginning of what road safety experts call the 100 deadliest days of summer — the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal crashes climb, particularly among teen drivers. Speeding is one of the most preventable causes of death on American roads. It is also one we have stubbornly failed to prevent.

That is changing. In 2024, Washington, D.C. enacted the first Intelligent Speed Assistance law in the country for persistent speeding offenders. Since then, seven states have passed similar legislation: Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois and last month, New York, which passed its law as part of the state budget. Virginia begins implementing its program on July 1. Sixteen additional states have introduced similar legislation this year, with bipartisan support.

Source: The Hill

Click Here to Read More

Analysis: What Does America Want from Surface Transportation Reauthorization?

In July of last year, USDOT issued the "Advancing a Surface Transportation Proposal That Focuses on America's Most Fundamental Infrastructure Needs" Request for Information (RFI) to gather public input on reauthorization priorities. The RFI provides a look into the public’s priorities for infrastructure investment and gives an idea of the importance of reauthorization priorities to highlight.

Click Here to Read More

Lime Rolls Out 14,000 Vehicles for FIFA World Cup

The shared micromobility operator has announced plans to deploy an additional 14,000 e-bikes and e-scooters across the tournament’s three host countries of the US, Canada and Mexico. These will be available in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Monterrey and Guadalupe.

Click Here to Read More

Massachusetts Launches Electric Vehicle Charging Hubs for Taxi and Rideshare Drivers

Six new fast-charging hubs for rideshare and taxi drivers are being rolled out by the state, and one is located in western Massachusetts. Each location will get new DC fast chargers installed for free. State officials said they used rideshare data to pick high-demand areas and looked at where passengers are most often picked up and dropped off.

Click Here to Read More

Ontario Auto Insurance Changes Coming July 1

Changes are coming to auto insurance in Ontario. Starting July 1, nine standard accident benefits will become optional. Drivers on Ontario roads will have more choice when it comes to auto insurance this summer. While standard medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits will remain mandatory, a number of auto accident benefits are moving to an opt-in model.

Click Here to Read More

Air Canada Pilot Arrested for Flying without Proper License

An Air Canada pilot was arrested Monday after a probe discovered he had been allegedly flying hundreds of flights for at least 17 years without a proper license. Canadian police officials outlined Geoffrey Wall's alleged fraud, which they said, "read like a movie script."

Click Here to Read More

ENC to Supply New Clean Diesel Buses to YRT

ENC has announced that York Region Transit (YRT) has placed an order for a set of three 32-foot E-Z Rider II ® clean diesel transit buses. All vehicles will be procured through City View Bus Sales & Service Ltd., ENC’s authorised Canadian dealer.

Click Here to Read More

Organised Taxi Fraud Targeted Tourists in Paris

Four men have been charged with fraud and money laundering as part of a major taxi scam in Paris, with victims already filing for at least €680,000 in overpayments. Conducted between December 2024 and January 2026, the scheme saw the men target tourists and charge them vast sums of money for short rides after altering payment details for card payments. 

Click Here to Read More

Brussels Users Can Now Book Wheelchair-Accessible Uber Vehicles

The new service, called Uber PMR, allows wheelchair users to book specially adapted vehicles directly through the app. The vehicles are equipped with rear access ramps and dedicated securing systems for wheelchairs and can accommodate up to four additional passengers.

Click Here to Read More

Bolt Tests Self-Driving Taxi in Luxembourg

Ride-hailing platform Bolt, alongside Chinese company Pony.ai and carmaker Stellantis began testing self-driving taxis in Luxembourg on Monday, the companies said. The trial, which will be conducted over a year, initially involves five vehicles in the town of Bissen and will be gradually expanded to 30 vehicles and include Luxembourg City to ensure the "robotaxis" can handle a crowded urban driving environment.

Click Here to Read More

Uber Japan Launches Flight-Linked Airport Pickup Booking for Taxis and Premium Cars

When booking a ride to or from an airport, users can register flight information such as the airline name and flight number. The app will automatically obtain the actual departure and arrival times and adjust the pickup timing according to delays or early arrivals. The eligible services are the taxi dispatch service “Uber Taxi” and the hire car dispatch service “Uber Premium” (only for flights to and from Tokyo/Haneda Airport).

Click Here to Read More

Taiwan: Ministry Adds NT$9,000 to Taxi Subsidies

Subsidies for taxis are to increase by NT$9,000, bringing the total to NT$15,000 per vehicle, to help stabilize public transportation fees amid rising crude oil prices, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced on Monday. The measure is part of the ministry’s expanded transport fare stabilization measures, which would also extend subsidies for intercity buses, ferries and domestic flights for another three months to a total of six months.

Click Here to Read More

Vinfast Sees Opportunities in Philippine Electric Bus Market

VinFast Southeast Asia Chief Executive Officer Antonio “Toti” Zara said the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker is keeping a close watch on the Philippines’ emerging electric bus market, although it is not yet ready to introduce its e-bus lineup locally.

Click Here to Read More

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.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2026:

Weekly news snippets

Access to the membership database

Videos and files from recent conferences

Discounted rates for future conferences, and more!

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