IATR 39th Annual Conference Early Bird Pricing Until Aug 15!

AV City: Autonomous Mobility

Las Vegas, Nevada | September 14–17, 2026

Vdara Hotel at ARIA | 2600 W Harmon Ave, Las Vegas, NV

Early-bird pricing extended until August 15

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Image: Lloyd Mitchell

A federal judge has ruled that New York City cannot prohibit Uber Technologies and Lyft from deactivating drivers from their apps without advance notice, ruling ​that the novel law is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods in Manhattan ‌said in a written ruling on Tuesday that the city's law adopted earlier this year benefits a small fraction of drivers while interfering with the ride-hailing companies' right to police the safety of their ​platforms.

"Uber and Lyft are likely to succeed in showing that the law protects ​a narrow class of drivers and does not advance the broader ⁠social or economic interest which the U.S. Constitution requires to permit the severe impairment of ​their contracts," Woods wrote.

The judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the city from enforcing the ​law, which was set to take effect July 28, pending the outcome of consolidated lawsuits filed by the companies last month.

The law, one of the first of its kind in the U.S., was passed in January after the New York City Council overwhelmingly overrode a veto by former Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat. Adams had said ​that the law would ​create an expensive ⁠and unwieldy new bureaucracy to handle wrongful deactivation claims.

Source: Reuters

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Image: Wheely

High-end taxi company Wheely whisks its celebrity and business clientele around in unmarked vehicles and makes its drivers sign nondisclosure agreements. But in New York, there is a big hole in its plan for complete discretion: a city requirement that hired vehicles provide detailed data on where they drive customers.

The company entered the New York market in March but is now locked in a legal battle over a longstanding city requirement that all for-hire vehicles submit monthly records of every trip, including the time and location of every pickup and drop-off, as well as the driver identification and vehicle license number. Wheely argues that this amounts to a widespread system of state surveillance, affecting millions of riders each year.

“We believe that riders have the right to travel in their city without their movements being tracked by the government,” Wheely founder and Chief Executive Anton Chirkunov said in an interview.

The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, which collects the taxi data, says the rule is necessary for drivers’ safety to ensure they aren’t traveling unreasonably long distances in a day, which can lead to fatigue and accidents.

“Our longstanding data provision rules are vital to driver and passenger safety, corporate accountability, and our ability to make informed decisions as we regulate the largest industry of its kind in the United States,” TLC spokesman Jason Kersten said.

Source: WSJ

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Data Capture Alone Doesn't Violate Calif. License Plate Law

A California state appeals court has refused to revive a proposed class action that accused a vehicle location data company of unlawfully collecting drivers' data through automatic license plate readers, saying in a published opinion that the suit's plaintiff couldn't lean on his "subjective belief" that his privacy was invaded.

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Philadelphia’s Taxi Fleet Is Shrinking. This App Is Helping Keep Cabs Alive in Boston and Beyond.

Uber and Lyft helped flatten the taxicab industry. Now they are joining forces. Last month, Boston became the latest city where drivers of licensed taxicabs can respond to rideshare trip requests, using apps that are integrated with the Uber and Lyft platforms. But don’t expect to see this change in Philadelphia, even as the city’s taxi business continues its free fall.

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Ford Bets on Apple for Its Next-Generation of EVs

Apple on Thursday announced a new set of developer tools that will let automakers embed Apple Maps navigation and mapping directly into their vehicles’ infotainment systems. The software development kit, called MapKit for Automotive, will debut with Ford and its new line of electric vehicles, starting with a $30,000 midsize truck in 2027.

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Canada Cancels Joint Bridge-Opening Event with U.S.

A planned joint U.S.-Canada ceremony July 24 celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is no longer expected to take place after President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on most Canadian goods.

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Ford Commits $499M to Canada Engine Plant, Defends Trade Deal

Ford Motor Co. and the union representing its Canadian employees ratified a contract that will mean wage increases and bonuses for thousands of workers, with the automaker committing to an investment in a southwestern Ontario engine plant. Hourly workers will receive a 9% wage increase over the three-year span of the agreement, Ford said in a news release on July 19. 

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Electric Vehicle Adoption Will Be Critical for Canada to Meet Its New Automotive Strategy Goals

Earlier this year, the federal government announced that its policy to decarbonize personal vehicles would shift from a national EV sales mandate to performance-based emissions standards. This approach replaces the previous 100 per cent EV sales target by 2035 with a goal of 75 per cent EV sales by 2035 and 90 per cent EV sales by 2040 to be delivered through updated light-duty vehicle (LDV) emissions regulations.

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France Won’t Approve Tesla ‘FSD’ Yet, Wants EU-Wide Sign-Off First

France’s Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, says the country won’t authorize Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” (Supervised) “as it currently stands,” pointing to two safety problems: the system lets drivers speed, and it doesn’t keep them attentive enough in cities. But this isn’t France slamming the door on Tesla. It’s France refusing to rubber-stamp the Netherlands’ national approval and holding out for a proper EU-wide sign-off.

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Italy Is Paralyzed: Wave of Strikes Affects Flights, Trains, Ferries and Public Transport

Italy is entering a week of widespread disruption to its transport system, following a series of strikes by airline, rail, ferry and public transport workers. The first strike, which began today (July 21, 2026), is expected to affect thousands of flights, with further protests expected later in the week that will also affect rail, ferry and urban transport.

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European Transportation Network Not Ready for Increasing Climate Extremes

Last June, Western Europe was hit by the most widespread heat wave on record, and several countries in Southern Europe are currently still grappling with persistent, intense heat and wildfires. UNECE, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, then called on countries in Europe, North America, and Central Asia to urgently make their transportation infrastructure climate-resilient.

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China Issuing Robotaxi Licences after Long Freeze

China has started issuing robotaxi permits again after a high-profile incident involving self-driving vehicles led authorities to suspend new licences in April, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Thailand Works on $700 Million EV Plan to Replace 80,000 Vehicles

Thailand is reviewing a 24 billion baht ($714 million) plan to help replace up to 80,000 ageing transport vehicles with EVs and evaluating whether it should be extended ​to cover all electric vehicle purchases as part of its energy-transition efforts.

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DP WORLD to Develop Two UAE Ports to Bolster Supply Chain

DP World has struck an agreement in principle to build two new ports on the UAE east coast to maintain supply chain continuity in the event the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt shipping in years to come.

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Image: Tripy

Turkish shared mobility operator Tripy has announced plans to bring robotaxis to Türkiye, with Ankara as a potential starting point for testing. Tripy is known predominantly for its micromobility operations, running a fleet of 7,200 shared e-bikes across Turkey and Azerbaijan. Now, the company is taking its first move with autonomous vehicles with plans to begin testing Level 4 robotaxis on Turkish roads as early as this year, subject to approvals.

“The launch of this process will depend on the completion of the necessary testing permissions from the relevant authorities and it is currently targeted to begin between the end of 2026 and sometime in 2027,” Tripy CEO Dr. Ali Onuralp Ünal told Zag Daily.

Tripy’s robotaxi has been developed on the Maxus Mifa 7 electric vehicle platform and modified with Level 4 autonomous driving technology from Chinese firm CalmCar.

The operator reports more than 100,000 hours of robotaxi road testing logged in China, with Tripy now planning to bring the vehicles to its home nation of Türkiye. 

When asked why Tripy chose to test its robotaxis abroad, Dr. Ünal said that testing in China represents a “critical advantage” for the company, arguing that a market with more mature AV technology and policy puts robotaxis to a greater test than if they had been tested from the start in Türkiye.

Source: Zag Daily

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