Image: Via

A new study from UC Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center offers a detailed look at how microtransit interacts with fixed-route public transit, and the findings complicate the simple narrative that microtransit either helps or hurts conventional transit. The study, led by Susan Shaheen and published August 22, 2026 in Sustainability, examined three California microtransit systems –  Richmond Moves, the Silicon Valley Hopper serving Cupertino and Santa Clara, and Via West Sac, one of the longest continuously operating microtransit systems in the country. Researchers combined passenger surveys, vehicle activity data spanning June 2022 through November 2024, and seven expert interviews with operators and city officials, using Google Directions API data to estimate what each microtransit trip would have looked like on the fixed-route alternative.

The results point to a complementary role for microtransit, but one that varies sharply by market. Between 31% and 35% of Richmond Moves and SV Hopper riders reported connecting to public transit on their most recent trip, most often to BART or Caltrain, while 17% of Via West Sac riders did the same. At the same time, microtransit is drawing riders away from the bus in a meaningful share of cases: 23% of Richmond Moves riders and 17% of SV Hopper riders said they now ride the bus less, and in West Sacramento that figure reached 43%. Cost, speed, and better destination coverage were the most commonly cited reasons for the shift.

On trip performance, microtransit wait times consistently ran longer than fixed-route transit in the denser Bay Area markets – 74% of SV Hopper trips and 82% of Richmond Moves trips had longer waits than the bus alternative – but total door-to-door travel time was faster on microtransit in a majority of cases across all three systems, reaching 88% in Cupertino. Researchers attribute this to more direct routing once a passenger is on board, offsetting the wait-time disadvantage. A substantial share of trips also had no fixed-route equivalent at all – as high as 52% in West Sacramento – meaning microtransit is reaching trips conventional transit cannot currently serve. Geospatially, microtransit's advantage over fixed-route transit grew with distance from city centers in the Bay Area, while in the more auto-oriented West Sacramento market it outperformed fixed-route transit citywide.

The study's core message for transit agencies is that microtransit's value is highly context-dependent: it appears strongest, and least competitive with existing bus service, in lower-density areas with limited fixed-route coverage, while in denser suburban environments with robust bus networks it is more likely to draw ridership away from routes that already run efficiently. To strengthen complementarity, the researchers recommend displaying comparative travel-time information within booking apps, surfacing faster fixed-route alternatives when relevant, and offering transfer credits for microtransit trips that connect to fixed-route service – design choices aimed at steering riders toward, rather than away from, the broader public transportation network.

Source: MDPI

Click Here to Read More

Image: Euronews

Major European countries and cities are tightening regulations to reduce accidents related to personal mobility (PM) such as electric scooters. The trend is to broaden the scope of oversight to include not only wearing helmets and reflective gear but also device registration, license plates, and mandatory insurance. By contrast, Korea also requires a driver's license and helmet use, but a comprehensive management system that covers device registration and license plates and lending operator registration and insurance remains far off. Related bills to address this are still pending in the National Assembly.

According to the city of Paris on the 24th, the Paris police made it mandatory as of the 7th to wear helmets and high-visibility and reflective gear when using PM such as electric scooters or Segways on public roads. Under the measure, users must wear reflective gear such as a high-visibility vest at all times of day when using PM.

Spain and Italy are building management systems by registering PM with authorities. In Spain, all PM owners must register their devices with the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) to receive a unique number and registration certificate, and they must attach an identification label to the device. As with cars, changes in ownership or device disposal must also be reported.

Korea also has PM-related rules in place, but the focus of regulation is largely on users. Under the current Road Traffic Act, to operate an electric scooter, a driver's license equal to or higher than a moped license is required. A moped license can be obtained from age 16, so those under 16 cannot operate electric scooters. Wearing a helmet is also mandatory.

Source: Chosun Biz

Click Here to Read More

Uber Is Letting Parents Check In on Their Teens Through Drivers’ Selfie Cameras

Uber said Tuesday it is introducing a new live video streaming feature for parents to keep track of their children’s safety during rides. The company said that the feature will roll out across the U.S. nationwide in the coming weeks.

Click Here to Read More

Maryland: Frederick City Council Cuts Taxi Fees

The change is meant to reduce barriers for drivers and make it easier to pursue self-employment. By extension, the change could increase transportation options for residents without their own vehicles. A taxi permit used to cost $2,500.

Click Here to Read More

Walmart's EV Charging Network Hits 100 Stations in 20 States

Walmart is now officially a serious player in the American EV charging industry. That’s because the retail giant recently opened its 100th EV fast-charging station, with the Walmart Supercenter in Monument, Colorado, getting a nice ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to celebrate the occasion.

Click Here to Read More

Governments of Canada, Nova Scotia Invest C$10 Million in Rural Transit Improvements

The funding will support new conventional and electric buses, charging infrastructure and maintenance facility upgrades for the Tidal Transit Authority.

Click Here to Read More

Toronto Transit Commission to Open Scarborough Busway on 30 September

The four-kilometre Busway is being delivered along part of the former Line 3 Scarborough RT corridor and is expected to open more than six months ahead of the original projected date.

Click Here to Read More

Port of Vancouver Upgrade Halves Truck Transit Times

The upgrades are designed to support more efficient cargo flows through the growing Fraser Surrey Port Lands area, including halving inbound container truck transit times and cutting port-related greenhouse gas emissions. Bulk export volumes, both liquid and dry, moving through the trade area have grown by more than 80 per cent since 2021, while container traffic rose by more than 10 per cent in 2025.

Click Here to Read More

Bolt Turns E-Scooters into Maps for Wheelchair Accessibility

The shared mobility giant has launched a new project called Wheels4Wheels which repurposes technology already fitted to its e-scooters, like sensors, to score city streets for how passable they are for wheelchair users. This data is then published openly to OpenStreetMap, the world’s largest open-source map database, for free use by city officials, planning developers and navigation services.

Click Here to Read More

Kapsch Trafficcom Begins the Integration of Smart Parking in Santa Cruz De Tenerife

The project, promoted by the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, aims to improve parking efficiency and provide better information about parking spaces to residents and visitors throughout the city, thus reducing traffic in the city and therefore pollution. Information about the occupancy of 24 independent parking zones distributed throughout the city center will be shared with the traffic management system.

Click Here to Read More

High Oil Prices, Subsidies and Affordable Models Rev Up European EV Sales

EV sales have soared across Europe since the Iran war began in February ‌and caused pain at the pump. The big question for many in the auto industry is whether consumer interest will fade if and when oil prices retreat, while a lack of public charging options remains a major concern.

Click Here to Read More

Hong Kong: MTR Begins Autonomous Vehicle Trials for High-Speed Rail–Airport Connections

MTR Corporation has begun road trials of an autonomous vehicle connection service in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon district, with a planned launch in the second quarter of 2027. The proposed service will provide an additional transfer option between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, which serves the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong High-Speed Rail, and Kowloon Station on the Airport Express.

Click Here to Read More

Inside the FIA’s AI System to Score Driver Risk Worldwide

Road crashes kill nearly 1.2 million people every year, yet there is no universal way to measure driver risk across global fleets. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motorsport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has developed an AI-powered Driver Safety Index (FIA DSI) to change that reality, aiming to create a standardised risk score that can be compared across countries, fleets and telematics providers.

Click Here to Read More

Indonesia Signs for 60 Electric Air Taxis

Jakarta’s traffic is the stuff of legend — the kind of gridlock where a five-mile trip can eat two hours. Now an Indonesian operator wants to fly over it. On August 12, Whitesky Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding for 60 electric air taxis, betting that the fastest way across the capital is straight up.

Click Here to Read More

Image: inDrive

A new chapter is being written for ride-hailing.

In the world’s wealthier markets, the sector is increasingly being shaped by autonomy with a wave of robotaxi announcements flashing off the back of cities across the US, Europe and Asia.

In many developing nations, however, platform-based ride-hailing is only just beginning to take hold, remaining entirely novel in some parts of the world. 

inDrive is the second most-downloaded ride-hailing app globally with its business built predominantly around these underserved markets. Its model centres on price negotiation which allows riders and drivers to agree on a fare before a trip, underpinned by a wider philosophy of giving both sides greater freedom and entrepreneurial control over their lives. 

Heading up this mission is Chief Ride-Hailing Officer Evgenia Matrosova. As ride-hailing takes on very different forms around the world, Zag Daily sat down with Matrosova to explore what she sees as the fundamentals of the industry – fairness, safety, economic opportunity and freedom of choice – and what she’s doing to ensure drivers remain in control not only of their work, but of their lives.

Source: Zag Daily

Click Here to Read More

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!