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IATR Technology & Innovation Committee Meeting

Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 02:00 PM ET / 11:00 am PT

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Image: Mobility 10x

In a recent research paper published in Science Direct titled Navigating the Gig Economy: Transportation Labor Challenges Facing California’s App-Based Ride-Hailing and Courier Drivers, authors from the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at UC Berkeley – Susan Shaheen, Brooke Wolfe, and Adam Cohen – analyze the changing environment for gig worker classification in California and how the current framework impacts drivers who work with transportation network companies as well as courier network services.

This work was based on interviews with gig workers, case study analyses, and comprehensive literature reviews to assess how drivers are affected by state legislation and regulations, particularly Assembly Bill 5, Proposition 22, and Senate Bill 1014. The authors’ analysis examines the implications of these legislative measures on drivers' access to earnings, benefits, worker protections, and vehicle ownership models, within the context of California's greenhouse gas emission laws and the transition to all-electric vehicles.

In their study, the authors systematically examined the challenges faced by gig drivers and app-based platforms in California, noting that these issues are also relevant to drivers operating in other states. The research underscores persistent concerns related to worker classification, especially the implications of being categorized as independent contractors (ICs). This classification is commonly associated with lower wages, reduced worker protections, and limited access to benefits. Furthermore, the analysis draws attention to the ongoing complexities in distinguishing the flexibility inherent in IC roles from the characteristics of conventional employment relationships.

The paper provides an in-depth analysis of driver compensation models, highlighting that gig drivers receive payment exclusively for active trip periods, while intervals spent waiting between assignments are not compensated. This approach frequently leads to income variability. Additionally, the authors discuss the implications of Proposition 22, noting that applications now retain a larger share of fare revenue. Coupled with rising operational costs—including insurance, vehicle maintenance, repairs, and fuel—these developments have collectively diminished the profitability of driving for app-based companies.  

Their conclusions include a discussion of potential frameworks that state legislatures and the federal government could establish to set compensation and benefits standards for gig drivers, implement appropriate deactivation procedures, and facilitate the transition to electric vehicles through infrastructure development and grant programs supporting new vehicle purchases.

Matt Daus, President of the IATR, was consulted as a legal and regulatory expert during the development of this research, providing objective guidance on the statutory and policy frameworks governing app-based transportation services in California and beyond. His involvement focused on fact-checking relevant laws, regulatory structures, and enforcement approaches, and offering technical context regarding worker classification and oversight models within the broader regulatory landscape.

You can read the entire paper in Science Direct here.

In addition to their work on gig drivers, the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies recently released Mobility 10x: Accelerating Transportation Innovation in California research magazine. Focusing on the work done by the Resilient and Innovative Mobility Initiative (RIMI) over the last four years, Mobility 10x looks at issues surrounding sustainability, public transit, road safety, resiliency, and the workforce impacts of emerging modes of mobility.

The magazine is available here for download or as a flipbook here.

Congratulations to Susan Shaheen, Laura Podolsky, Brooke Wolfe, and Adam Cohen for these publications of their work on transportation issues of the past, present, and future. It is the work of academics and researchers that continues to play an important role in understanding how new technologies and innovations impact our multimodal transformation.

Image: Repairer Driven News

A South Dakota bill would ban insurance companies from declaring a motor vehicle a total loss unless the cost of repairs meets or exceeds 75% of the actual cash value before it was damaged. 

SB 2271 would allow insurers to declare a total loss only with a written request from the vehicle owner. 

Pete Stemper, executive director of the South Dakota Auto Body Association, said this is one of five issues that his association decided needed to be changed in the state. 

“I know people assume it is about profiting the body shops, but it is absolutely the opposite,” Stemper said. “It is 100% about giving those individuals who don’t have the cash flow to replace that vehicle the opportunity to at least say yes or no.” 

Consumers may have to pay more out of pocket and could have trouble finding a replacement vehicle, he said. 

“It is a consumer-driven attempt by the body shops because we are the people who physically have to see these people sitting across from us and see what they are going through, and it is disheartening for us,” Stemper said. 

Source: Repairer Driven News

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Tesla Dodges California License Suspension after Dropping Misleading 'Autopilot' Marketing Terms

Tesla will avoid a 30-day suspension of its dealer and manufacturer licenses in California after complying with a state order to stop using the term "autopilot" when marketing its vehicles, state regulators said Tuesday. The decision comes after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) found in December 2025 that Tesla violated state law by misleadingly marketing its electric vehicles with the terms "autopilot" and "full self-driving."

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Uber to Invest $100 Million in Robotaxi Charging Hubs

Uber Technologies said Wednesday it will invest more than $100 million to build out autonomous vehicle charging hubs, with the aim of accelerating the expansion of its robotaxi operations both in the United States and abroad. Uber Technologies said Wednesday it will invest more than $100 million to build out autonomous vehicle charging hubs, with the aim of accelerating the expansion of its robotaxi operations both in the United States and abroad.

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Skydio Poised for $4M Windfall from LAPD Drone Deal

In a major vote on Tuesday, the Board of Police Commissioners in Los Angeles unanimously approved a private donation that could send as much as $4 million to US drone maker Skydio. A $2.1 million donation, routed through the Los Angeles Police Foundation, will help expand the Los Angeles Police Department’s “Drone as First Responder” program by funding drones, docking stations, and installation costs at police facilities across the city.

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Metro vs Ottawa Resumes March 30

The Metro Taxi vs City of Ottawa case will be back in court in March, 2026. The next step in the proceeding is to address whether damages can be assessed in the aggregate. This means that the court will decide whether the damages for the class members can be calculated together, or each class member has to prove their damages individually, one by one.

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A Coast-to-Coast EV Charging Network Is a ‘Project of National Interest’ Canadians Want to See

Last week, the federal government announced $84 million to install more than 8,000 new electric vehicle chargers across Canada and promised a new National Charging Infrastructure Strategy. It was a welcome encore following the release of a new auto strategy in which Canada re-committed to an EV future. 

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Canadian Airlines Are Pulling Back from Flights to the U.S., with One Leaving the Country Entirely

Canadians are pulling back from visiting the US — and airlines are paying attention. Montreal-based Air Transat will no longer fly to the US this summer, with its last flight across the border operating in early June. In March last year, it operated nine routes to and from the US, but that number had dropped to three as of early 2026.

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Greek Taxi Drivers Threaten Nationwide Escalation

Taxi drivers in Greece have vowed to escalate their protests nationwide if their demands are not met, as their strike continues until 6 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20. “The government is leading us to ruin if it does not withdraw Article 52 of the bill,” Paris Orfanos, Secretary General of the Syndicate of Attica Taxi Drivers (SATA), said. “If our demands are not satisfied, we will intensify our mobilizations across the country.”

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CCPC Calls on Government to Open Up Irish Taxi Market

Ireland’s competition watchdog is calling on the Government to remove regulatory barriers in the taxi sector, citing significant supply shortages and growing consumer demand for ride-hailing services. New research from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), published today, found that two in five people who tried to get a taxi in December 2025 experienced difficulties, with 27% saying they gave up entirely because no taxis were available.

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Berlin Senate Grants No New Taxi Licenses for One Year

The Berlin Senate does not want to approve any new taxis in Berlin for one year. According to the Senate Department for Transport, the state government wants to combat oversupply with this measure.

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South Africa: KZN Transport Welcomes Peace Deal after Phoenix E-Hailing Assault

KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma has welcomed what he described as a ground-breaking peace agreement between the KZN E-Hailing Council and the Phoenix Taxi Association following the recent assault of a Bolt driver in Phoenix.

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Motorcycle Taxi Firm Calls for End to Fleet Cap

Grab-controlled motorcycle taxi platform Move It has urged Philippine regulators to raise the cap on the number of bikes allowed to operate, arguing that demand for motorcycle taxi services has grown while the sector remains under a government-run pilot.

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South Korea: Gyeongsan-si to Enhance Mobility Rights for Transportation-Vulnerable Residents and Pregnant Women

On February 19, Gyeongsan-si (Mayor Cho Hyunil) announced that, starting in March, it will fully implement the "Transportation-Vulnerable Voucher Taxi and Call-Taxi for Pregnant Women" program to substantially improve mobility convenience for transportation-vulnerable residents and pregnant women. Under this program, general commercial taxis will switch to voucher-only taxis when dispatched via a call and operate in that mode.

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Image: John Penney

A new report flags how the shortfall of wheelchair-accessible vehicles from the app-based ride-hailing giants subjects New Yorkers with disabilities to longer wait times.

The “Left Behind Across New York” report from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest notes that just 7% of nearly 106,000 for-hire vehicles licensed by the city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission are wheelchair accessible — a figure they say highlights disparities faced by customers with limited mobility who book rides through Uber and Lyft.

“It honestly feels disrespectful,” said Stefan Henry, a quadriplegic customer who uses a large powered wheelchair. “It just feels like they don’t think that people with disabilities need to go to work.”

Meanwhile, the city’s yellow taxi fleet last summer met a years-overdue legal mandate to make 50% of the in-service cabs wheelchair-accessible by equipping vehicles with ramps. It came years after the city blew a 2020 deadline that came about as part of a landmark settlement of a class-action lawsuit approved in 2014.

TLC data shows that of the 10,694 licensed yellow taxis in service in November, 56% were wheelchair accessible.

Source: The City

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