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Transportation
Transportation
Lege/Regulatory TREND. Regulate Climate Change via Ride Share.
The new rules on ride share to regulate climate change impact brought to you by: California Air Resources Board
How do the rules on ride share impact climate change?
- reduce the number of trips by drivers without riders
- promote multiple riders taking the same car to different drop-off points
- faster path to more zero-emission ride share vehicles in a fleet
Why did the government act? “Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft emit 50% more greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile traveled in California than the average car”
What is ride share saying?
- “We support the clean miles standard,” – Uber
- “We’re up to the challenge in this industry to have it apply to us first.” – Uber
Bloomberg Environment | California Moves to Regulate Climate Impact From Uber, Lyft
Deal to Allow Direct Car Delivery in Michigan
Who reached an agreement? Michigan & Tesla
Under the agreement, Tesla can directly deliver its vehicles to customers in the state
What about car titles?
- Tesla cannot issue titles in Michigan
- Another state can issue title, and the Michigan resident can transfer title in
Reuters | Michigan, Tesla reach agreement for direct car delivery: source
Yahoo Finance | Tesla Reaches Deal Clearing Way for Michigan Service Centers
Anatomy of a legislative push to move transportation funding to locals.
Where: Colorado
What: SB20-44 (20202 | CO)
How does this bill reallocate transportation funding to locals?
- reallocation of the sales and use tax of vehicle
- 22% to counties
- 18% to cities
Colorado Springs Independent | Transportation, education and justice on the legislative agenda
Business TREND. Tech + Pothole Repair = Local Government Efficiency
What tech company is helping local governments? Rock Solid, of Austin, Texas
What does Rock Solid do? offers government and citizen engagement platforms
How are the platforms used to improve government?
- report malfunctioning parking kiosks
- report full park trash cans
- submit service requests for potholes
- reply to city calls for volunteers
Independent Record | Helena Residents Now Use an App to Request City Improvements
Lege TREND. Largest EV Rebate + Tax Exemption
Where: New Jersey
What: An existing sales tax exemption for EV sales + a newly enacted $5000 rebate for EV purchase
How is the rebate funded? the state’s existing Clean Energy Fund
What other provisions are in the legislation?
- 10 year limit on the rebate
- 2025 deadline for 330,000 light-duty electric cars or trucks on the road
- 2 million by 2035
- 2040 deadline for 85% of all new light-duty vehicles sold in New Jersey are to be electric
- 400 fast chargers in 200 charging stations by the end of 2025
Philadelphia Inquirer | NJ Accelerates Its Electric Vehicle Sales with New Rebate
City + Private Sector = Tech Partnership to Improve Mobility
Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan
What’s the partnership? Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment
What are the details?
- largest deployment of connected vehicle technology in North America
- 2,500+ connected vehicles
- “talking” to some 75 connected intersections
- 7 years old
- to deploy and test technologies
Who is in the partnership collaborating to use tech data to improve transportation?
- City of Ann Arbor
- Mcity, a research arm of the university designed to study advanced mobility research and serve as the nexus of academia, government and the private sector
- UMTRI [University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute]
What transportation issues does the partnership look to benefit?
- to understand where traffic bottlenecks occur to improve the city transportation plan
- improve transportation sustainability
- multimodal transportation
Government Technology | City Hopes to Use Car Data to Make Infrastructure Decisions
1st U.S. Pilotless Air Taxi
Where: North Carolina
What is a pilotless air taxi? a two-seat drone made by the Chinese company EHang
What North Carolina’s Transportation Secretary is saying: “We want to bring these kinds of opportunities to make sure that we’re economically competitive.”
Where is the regulatory and legislative issue: Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t permit autonomous aircraft to carry people
News & Observer | North America’s First Pilotless Air Taxi Takes Off in Raleigh
New Local & Business TREND. Adaptive Scooters. What do I need to know?
What is an adaptive scooter? Scooters targeting the population that meets 1 of 3 criteria:
- people who don’t need mobility assistance at home
- people who don’t qualify for home scooter purchase programs
- people who face limited mobility options in public
Where are the adaptive scooter pilot programs? San Francisco
Are there special considerations for adaptive scooter programs to support user adoption? Yes,
- additional personal customer service
- personal assistance
Tech Crunch | Uber kicks off adaptive electric scooter pilot in SF
Anatomy of Omnibus EV bill. Credits. Chargers. Fleets.
The legislation: S 2252 (2020 | NJ)
The EV tax credits:
- 10 year credit program
- 1 time tax credit
- $30 million funding for program
- EV incentive equal to $25 per mile of EPA-rated electric-only range, up to a maximum of $5,000 per eligible vehicle
Other provisions:
- 5 year reassessment of state EV goals and standards
- 10 year EV goal set
- EV fleet standards for NJ buses, 100% EV by 2032
- state-wide network of high-speed EV charging stations
Insider NJ | Jersey Renews: Bipartisan EV Bill Passes Senate & Assembly
Business TREND. Acting Before Ride Share Safety Legislation.
Which company? Lyft
What did Lyft do? Create a Safety Advisory Council
Who will serve on Lyft’s Safety Advisory Council?
- representatives from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
- representatives from “It’s On Us”, a public awareness campaign launched by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014
- law enforcement groups
- led by Eman Barhoumeh, its vice president of safety and customer engagement
What sparked the formation?
- Uber’s Safety report that acknowledged that Uber had received 3000 reports of sexual assault in the US in 2018
- A lawsuit concerning female passenger safety
NY Times | Lyft Forms Advisory Council to Improve Platform Safety
Engadget | Lyft forms yet another group to address passenger safety
Business TREND. Manufacturer Can’t Sell Cars. Can it lease cars? Hello Loophole.
Where: Connecticut
Which manufacturer is prohibited from selling in CT? Tesla
How is Tesla able to lease cars in the state?
The state Department of Motor Vehicles gave Tesla a license to lease vehicles
What does the state’s Auto Deal Association think? Jim Fleming, president of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association, said he believes leasing is little different from selling cars and that Tesla is violating Connecticut law.
Hartford Courant | Connecticut Says Tesla Can’t Sell, So Tesla Leases
Ride Share Corporate Responsibility + Local Transportation Needs.
Where: D.C.
Which ride share company? Lyft
What is Lyft’s D.C. Advisory Board doing for local transportation needs?
- awarded inaugural $25,000 in transportation grants to 5 local nonprofits
Is Lyft doing this in other cities? Yes, Los Angeles & Chicago
3 Reasons why Lyft took this step?
- Gathering civic leaders of transportation and philanthropy, activists in business, education, and the arts
- Improving D.C.’s city life
- Making D.C. more inclusive, more equitable, and more sustainable
Port Boards. Calls for Environmental Representation.
Where: Port of Corpus Christi
Why is there a call for environmental representation on Corpus Christi’s Port Board? To continue economic growth & sustain the ecosystem for future generations
What standards do they want on Port Commission appointees?
- An appointee that has scientific expertise
Who is making the call for scientific expertise? The Coastal Bend Sierra Club
EV Chargers = Plethora of Business Opportunities
Where are they talking about the user experience of EV Chargers? Wards Intelligence Focus: Electrification Conference
What type of opportunities run parallel to EV chargers?
- startups, Wattpark and Gulplug, that focus on low cost chargers
- small businesses that buy low cost chargers and can Airbnb the chargers out
- e.g. 90% of the commission on the electricity sale and Wattpark takes 10%
3 Business Opportunities. Driverless State Highways.
Georgia is opening 18 miles of Interstate 85 in southern Georgia to test next-gen driverless technology.
Here’s 3 business opportunities in this pilot project:
- The automakers who are testing vehicles
- The highway paint striping companies offering refractive bead technology
- This is a highway paint partnership between 3M & Panasonic
- Technology companies testing advanced driving systems (ADS) technology
- Communications. 6 roadside units capable of communicating with autonomous vehicle technologies
Government Technology | Georgia Makes Way for Driverless Vehicles, 18 Miles of It
Property Value Increase from More Mass Transit. New Study.
Who conducted the study? UT Arlington, College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs
Where was the study conducted? Dallas – Fort Worth
How do property values increase align with mass transit?
- Key variable to increase housing values near transit-oriented developments is the number of college-educated residents
- More jobs around mass transit, more increases in property values
- More valuable housing nearby entrance ramp to a highway or shopping center
What negatively impacted/limited value increases for property values in transit areas?
- proximity to schools
- parks
Lege TREND. Prohibiting Minors Using Ride Share.
Where: Florida
What’s the legislation? HB 657 (2020 | FL)
How would Florida’s HB 657 prevent minors from using ride share?
- Require ride share users to submit a photo of a government-issued ID to prove their age
- Includes Human Trafficking training and notices for ride share drivers
WFTV | How lawmakers are trying to crackdown on ride-share availability for minors
Move over Red Light Cameras. Welcome Handheld Cell Phone Detectors.
Where: Montgomery County, MD
How does a cell phone detector work? stationary, automated video cameras capable of detecting when drivers are using cell phones in a moving vehicle by using artificial intelligence
Does this require legislation in Maryland? Yes.
Is this tech used elsewhere? Yes, in Australia
What results have Australian jurisdiction seen? 30% decline in traffic deaths by 2021
Governing | Like Red Light Cameras, but for Handheld Phone Driving
Business TREND. Ride Share App adds Car Rentals
Who: Lyft
Where: San Francisco and Los Angeles
Is Lyft partnering with auto manufacturers? The program will include on Volkswagen and Mazda cars to rent
Reuters | Lyft expands rental car program in San Fran Bay Area, Los Angeles
+1 State Requiring Ride Share to Switch to EV
Where else might we see California’s move to push TNCs to EVs? Washington State
Why? The move to reduce emissions needs to be robust in all sectors. The number of ride share rides is increasing.
Washington State Wire | Op-ed: “Regulation is key to reducing transportation emissions”
+1 City Free Transit within City. 4 Public Benefits of Free Transit.
Where: Kansas City MO
How: City Council approved a policy to make fixed-route public transportation free within the city
Are other cities considering the same? Yes
- Columbia, SC is
- Colorado ski communities offer free buses seasonally to improve visitor safety during ski season
- Many universities offer free service
- DC has a pilot program for free rides for low income residents
4 Benefits of free public transit:
- Improve equity
- It’s cost effective when the cost of fare collection exceeds revenue gained
- Increase ridership
- Alleviate transit employees’ enforcement responsibilities
Smart Cities Dive | Kansas City, MO to eliminate transit fares
Draft Regulatory Standards for Heavy Truck Emission
Which state agency is proposing new heavy truck emission standards?
California Air Resources Board
What’s the new proposal?
- require manufacturers to start selling electric heavy trucks in 2024
- by 2030, 4% of the commercial heavy truck fleet in the state to be zero-emission
What’s NOT in the proposed heavy truck emission standards?
- no funding for charging infrastructure
- no incentives for truckers to buy electric vehicles
San Francisco Chronicle | Heavy Trucks Are New Target for Reducing Air Pollution
3 Hyperloop Projects
- Columbus, Ohio to Chicago and Pittsburgh
- Dallas-Austin-Laredo Texas
- Kansas City and St. Louis Missouri
Company Behind the projects: Hyperloop One, a Virgin company
What 3 benefits are Ohio supporters touting?
- economic development benefits
- helps to meet sustainability goals
- makes Ohio a leader in next-generation mobility
- Allow people to live in 1 city and work in another city hundreds of miles away with a 30 minute commute
Governing | Ohio Working Fast to Finalize Hyperloop by Early Next Year
4 Local Pilot Programs for Underserved Communities + Workforce Development
Where: Los Angeles
How much funding? $500,000 from the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
What are the pilot programs?
- growing car-share
- Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles car-share pilot project in partnership with the car-share company Envoy
- Envoy & Pick My Solar will identify payment and other barriers to EV adoption in low-income neighborhoods led by San Fernando Valley-based environmental justice organization Pacoima Beautiful
- growing bike-share
- solar-powered e-bike-share program by environmental justice organization Communities for a Better Environment
- more emissions-free delivery opportunities
- zero-emission e-cargo bike operation by the Conservation Corps of Long Beach
What push came from the Legislature: Add a workforce development angle to the Emissions Free projects
Governing | EV Companies Race to Los Angeles for Low-Income Passengers
High Speed Rail Deaths by the Numbers
Which U.S. high speed rail has the highest death rate? The Brightline Rail
What is the major cause of death?
- Suicide
- Impatient motorists, pedestrians, or bicyclists who misjudge the trains’ speed & ignored bells
What do the numbers look like?
- 40 since July 2017
- 1 death per month
- 1 death for every 29,000 rail miles traveled
- By contrast, Florida East Coast, a freight line, has 1 death for every 160,000 miles during the past 2 years
What proactive work is the rail doing to lower these numbers?
- working with suicide prevention groups
- using infrared motion detectors to identify suicide potential
- drones to patrol tracks
CBS 4 Miami | Brightline, Florida’s High-Speed Train, Has Highest U.S. Death Rate
Tolls for Trucks Only Makes Headway.
Where: Connecticut
Why tolls for trucks only?
- State looking for transportation revenue sources
- Tolling trucks only is a compromise position that limits truck tolls to 12 bridges
Local TREND. Cities looking for more authority over ride share. What’s New?
Where: San Francisco
Why does the city want more authority over ride share? To handle swelling traffic dilemmas like gridlock & double parking that blocks bike lanes
What regulatory authority are we talking about?
- How many vehicles are allowed in a city
- How deep or extensive driver criminal background checks are
- How often ride-hail vehicles should be inspected
- Who should inspect ride-hail vehicles
- Whether ride-hails are required to provide motorized wheelchair access or not
San Francisco Examiner | City officials could seek more power to regulate ride-hails
4 Novel Liability Issues. Autonomous Driving Vehicles.
Who is the liable party for an accident when a computer is driving?
Can the computer be held liable for leaving a child or pet in a vehicle?
Are self driving cars, for lawmaking purposes, like elevators, autopilot systems, or horse-drawn carriages?
Liability for a data breach or hack of a self driving vehicle?
Governing | Whose Insurance Pays in a Driverless Vehicle Crash?
Local TREND. Cities + Scooter Companies = Safety Incentives
Who: Bird
Where:The cities of Washington D.C. and Austin, TX
What: A selfie incentive program. A rider takes a selfie with a helmet on and received ride credits.
Why: Reduce the number of scooter related accidents. In a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of fall 2019 scooter accidents, 1 of 190 injured riders was wearing a helmet.
Governing | Austin American Statesman | A Modern Exchange: Helmet Selfies for Scooter Ride Credits
TRENDING. Delivery Services + Low Emissions
What is the solution du jour for low emission delivery ? Delivery by drone
How do big trucks factor into emissions?
- 29% of US greenhouse gas emissions are transportation related
- 1/4 of the 29% are attributable to medium- and heavy-duty trucks
What is the determining factor on whether drones are clean (low emission)? whether they have clean power sources
Los Angeles Times | Drones Could Deliver Us Into Environmentally Friendly Future
Lege TREND. New ways to derail High Speed Rail
Where: California
What new inventive ways are legislators de-railing high speed rail? By deferring high speed rail funds to local transportation projects in the same geographic area
Fresno Bee | California High-Speed Rail Won’t Be Derailed by Legislative Detours
New Kid on the EV Block. Pay as you Go EVs
Who: Canoo brought to you by BMW & Uber alums
What: Subscription based EV use that cuts out dealerships and showrooms
What do you get for a monthly subscription: The vehicle, maintenance and insurance
Ownership: Resides with Canoo and do to the low maintenance nature of EVs, a Canoodled vehicle could live with several users over its lifetime
Electrek | Canoo is first EV company to rethink electric cars for new era of mobility
Local TREND. Smart Street Lights Meet Data Security.
Where: San Diego
What data security issue are smart street lights facing? San Diegoians don’t trust smart street lights
What data is being collected by San Diego’s smart street lights?
- weather like humidity & air pressure
- vehicle counts
- pedestrian counts
- parking information
How many smart street lights does San Diego have? 4,200
What protections has San Diego enacted? No 3rd party data sales
Is it the smart street light contract a campaign issue? Yes, focusing on government tracking citizen information and selling it off
San Diego Union Tribune | San Diego Can’t Quell its Smart Streetlights Controversy
Lege TREND. Bill to address auto-cycle vehicles
Where: Wisconsin
What is an auto-cycle? 3 wheeled vehicles that can seat 1-2 people
What is the legislation? SB 86 (2019 | WI)
What does the bill do?
- define auto cycle as having seating that doesn’t require straddling + a steering wheel
- $45 annual registration fee
- require a regular driver’s license to drive an autocycle
WBAY | Legislature passes “autocycle” bill, creates new fee for three-wheelers
Regulatory TREND. No EV Tax Credits for EVs over $60K
Where: California
What the regulatory limits were placed on EV credit? California Air Resources Board clarified the EV tax credit to:
- shift support from wealthy buyers to low- to moderate-income drivers
- not allow credits for vehicles over $60,000
- not allow credits for vehicles with less than 35 mile range
- use of the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule to calculate the all-electric range of plug-in hybrids
- only one rebate per lifetime of individual or business
How does this regulatory change match with legislation? It rejects calls for EV credit expansion like, AB1046 (2019 | CA)
Electrek | California drops EV rebates for cars over $60k, plug-ins below 35 miles of EV range
Voters Approve Ride Share Tax.
Where: San Francisco
What:
- 3.25 % surcharge on individual rideshare rides
- 1.5% tax on shared rides or for zero-emissions vehicles
- Begins January 2020 & sunsets in 2045
Passage rate: 67% of voters approved
Revenue potential: $35 million split between the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Fund & the San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Background: The surcharge is a negotiated position between the City and Ride Share. The ride share companies favored the surcharge over an increase in their tax rate.
Congestion Pricing for Ride Share. 2 Counter Proposals.
Where: Chicago is considering congestion pricing for ride share
What counter proposals are being discussed?
- Taxing the corporations directly or increasing the corporate license fee
- Cap the number of rideshare licenses
Local TREND. Airports + Ride Share.
What 2 methods are airports adopting to handle the influx of ride share traffic?
- Relocation. Moving Lyft and Uber drivers from roads around the terminals to a parking garage
- Systems. Assigning numeric codes to match drivers with passengers in line for rides
Innovative Local TREND. Street Light Data Partnership to Build EV Charger Locations
Who: StreetLight Data + Siemens
Where: Santa Clara, CA
What: Santa Clara receives this data to help with infrastructure planning:
- Where trips originated
- Where trips concluded
- Whether or not the drivers live in the local area
- +more
What infrastructure insights did Santa Clara receive?
- EV chargers need to be at apartments and multi unit residences
- How to prioritize locations for out-of-home charging
- Focus on business fleets, which typically have longer drives
Government Technology | StreetLight Data, Siemens Create New EV Planning Dashboard
Partnership Delivering 110 EV Chargers. Spurring Economic Development.
Who partnered on this EV project?
- Francis Renewables
- Western Farmers
- cooperatives
- regulated utilities
What are the economic arguments for the EV Chargers?
- create freedom of movement
- to lure “the Fords, Nissans and Chevies of the world to come sell EVs in Oklahoma.”
What are the specs for the EV rollout?
- most EDV chargers on a per-capita basis
- more geographically spread out than California’s EV charging system
- 110EV Chargers will go online in 2020
The Oklahoman | Oklahoma to Build 110 EV Charging Stations in 2020
Anatomy of A Statewide Bike Sharing Legislation. City Preemption.
Where: Florida
Enacted legislation: HB 453 92019 | FL) Micromobility
Company pushing for preemption: Ofo
Legislation supporting arguments:
- Continuity for bike riders who may ride to a neighbor city which could have different rules but for statewide legislation
Regulatory TREND. FREE Autonomous Taxis
Where: California Public Utilities Commission
What regulations were placed on the robotaxi pilot?
- no timeline
- no charging fares
What are opponents saying?
- Risk to California’s reputation as the “world leader in driverless technology”
- Waymo needs “commercial path forward” to mimic its pilot eject in Phoenix
- Zoox can’t deploy in California if they don’t know a fare structure
- AutoX “”It’s very important we’re able to charge for our service not just for us but for the entire industry in California,”
Los Angeles Times via Governing | California Allows Robotaxis, Only If They’re Free
Who. Where. How Much. Midwest HyperLoop Details.
Where: Missouri
Who is behind the Missouri hyper loop project?
- Speaker of the MO House issues 176 report calling for a 15 mile test project
- 31 member committee issued the report
- chair: Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe
- members: University of Missouri System President Mun Choi, legislators, Governor staff, and business interests
- Public-private partnership is building the project
How much will the hyper loop cost?
- $300 million and $500 million for the 15 mile test track
- $10.4 billion to link St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City
- Funding sources: mix of federal and private dollars
3 Hyperloop location competitors:
- Ohio
- Texas
- North Carolina
St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Governing | Missouri Hyperloop’s Tab Keeps Growing
3 Ways Cities Can Lead Electric Vehicle Adoption
- proliferation of public charging stations
- 5 cities with the highest EV market share had 2.5 to 4.5 times the average amount of public chargers
- adopting EV city fleets
- creating incentives to make ride-hailing drivers choose electric
Top EV Market Share Cities:
- San Jose, Calif.
- San Francisco
- San Diego
- Los Angeles
- Sacramento, Calif.
- Seattle
- Portland, Ore.
- Riverside, Calif.
- Washington, D.C.
- Boston
Government Technology | Widespread EV Adoption Will Require Infrastructure, Education
What do I need to know about Vision Zero Transportation Funding Proposals?
Where: Congress
What does Vision Zero funding mean?
- reprioritize federal transportation spending
- favoring communities that redesigning streets to eliminate pedestrian deaths & accommodate multiple transportation methods
Which federal Transportation funding programs would be impacted?
- Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
- Highway Safety Improvement Program
- Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
Why? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a 5 year uptick in pedestrian and cyclist deaths
Curbed | New bill aims to counter alarming rise in pedestrian deaths with funding for safer streets
Airport TREND. Perks to Public Transit Riders
Where: San Francisco International Airport
What perks would at SFO work? By riding public transport a passenger would get quicker security screening
Why? Public transit saw a decline in ridership to the airport due to ride sharing
Is this new? Boston Logan Airport has a similar program
Government Technology | Transit Riders May Soon Cut Lines at San Francisco Airport
Business TREND. Truck Sharing Apps.
What’s a truck sharing app? think of it like Lyft or Uber for trucks to help you move things or deliver items
Who? GoShare
Where: Delaware, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Diego & 26 other markets
Are companies partnering with GoShare? Yes, Costco and Pier One Imports
Delaware Online | GoShare is bringing Uber-type app for trucks to Delaware
Legislative TREND. States + Car Sharing Laws
What’s the deal? States want to tax car sharing like rental cars
Where? Across the country
Who? TURO is a peer to peer car sharing platform
How does TURO platform work? Its like like Airbnb but for your vehicle. Say you park your car act the airport, someone who is visiting during that same time could pick it up in the lot and go from there.
What policy issues come into play?
- how to tax the platform
- safety standards for the vehicles, like recalls
- insurance
- can the platform operate from an airport (a sticking point for rental car companies)
Which states passed favorable laws? Colorado, Indiana and Maryland
Which states are considering car sharing legislation? Illinois, Utah and Arizona
Automotive News | Fights build over future of car-sharing
UK Aviation News | Bristol Airport will rent your car out while you’re on holiday
Waze CEO talks greater good in Carpooling
What: WAZE has a carpooling app
What 3 benefits does the CEO say support carpooling?
- Qualifying for HOV lanes
- Money in the driver’s pocket
- The environment, it’s for the great good
How many carpooling rides is Waze on track to hit? 1 million rides by early 2020
Barron’s | Never Mind Self-Driving Cars. Waze’s CEO Says Carpools Are More Important
New Transportation Legislative Caucus
What: ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus
What are the goals of the ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus?
- examine federal funding formulas
- promote legislation that tackles inequality, housing density, air pollution, and emerging transportation technologies
How will the caucus function?
- bipartisan
- bicameral
- open to big tent ideas
Streetsblog | Rep. Pressley Announces New ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus
Federal Safety Requirements for Ride Share.
Where: Congress
What: South Carolina’s Sami Law making its way to Congress to help ride share riders better identify drivers.
The bill: H.R.3262 – Sami’s Law (116th Congress)
- mandates scannable QR code on ride share vehicle windows matching the one on the rider’s smartphone
- requires illuminated signs visible day and night from about 50 feet away
- prohibits the sale of signs with company logos to drivers not employed by the ride share companies
Newsday | Rep. Thomas Suozzi pushes ride-sharing regulations
Proposed Highest Ride Share Fee in Nation
Where: Chicago
What would the fee be? $3 tax on solo ride-share trips downtown
The next highest ride share fee? $2.75 in the Manhattan core
What are opponents to the $3 fee on ride share saying?
- proposed new fees will result in less demand
- tax specifically targets one of the most lucrative times, rush hour
- the tax also targets a most lucrative location, downtown
- drivers will take a big hit in revenue
Anatomy of a Private Sector EV Partnership
Who: Ford Motor Company , Volkswagen, & Amazon
What:
- largest EV charger plan in North America
- 12,000 locations
- more than 35,000 charge plugs
Who is in charge of implementation? Volkswagen’s Electrify America + Amazon for home installations
Reuters | Ford partners with Volkswagen, Amazon to build charging network for cars
Lege TREND. Adding Bikes and E-Bikes to Clean Air Programs
Where? California
What? SB 400 (2019 | CA)
What does SB 400 do? Adds bikes and e-bikes to the Clean Cars 4 All Program which provides funds to upgrade from older vehicles
Streets Blog California | Legislative Update: New Laws on Transportation Policy, Funding, Planning
Lege TREND. Local Street Access Fees for Tourism
Where: California
What? AB 1605 (2019 | CA)
What would AB 1605 have allowed? Allowed San Francisco to create a toll for use of Lombard Street, the twisty and turney fairway. Creating a “a hyperlocal congestion charge.”
Why did the Governor veto AB 1605? Inequitable to permit a fee like this
Streets Blog California | Legislative Update: New Laws on Transportation Policy, Funding, Planning
Business TREND. Bonjour Self Driving Scooters
Who? Tortoise , CtrlWorks, Ninebot, ScootBee
Where? Singapore
What are the benefits of a self driving scooter?
- independently move to a better parking spot
- independently leave a neighborhood
- independently move to a location with scooter demand
- drive themselves to pick up a rider
Anatomy of a Self Driving Partnership
Who is partnering to advance self driving vehicles?
- Lyft
- Uber
- Ford
- GM
- Toyota
- Tesla
What do they call themselves? Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium
What do I need to know about the consortium?
- worldwide
- organized, this is no joke local yokel website
- standards development
- ride share contributes knowledge gleaned from its drivers
- vehicle manufacturers contribute knowledge from building cars
Engadget | Lyft is collaborating with Uber, Ford and Toyota on self-driving safety
Lege TREND. Finance EV Chargers with a vehicle fee
Where? Washington
What’s the fee? $75 electrification fee
Is this in addition to a fee that offsets the gas tax? yes, this is on top of the $150 gas tax fee
What will the electrification fee cover?
- EV Incentives
- Build out of the charging network in Washington State
What did the legislation look like? HB 2042 (2019 | WA)
Port Moves to Zero Emission Equipment for 3 social responsibility reasons.
Where: Port of Long Beach
Who funded the zero emission equipment? $5.3 million grant from the California Air Resources Board
What are the Port’s 3 reasons for supporting zero emission equipment?
- reduce our impact on our neighborhoods
- increase trade
- reduce carbon impact to reach the Port’s zero-emissions goals
American Journal of Transportation | Zero-emissions equipment deployed to port terminals
Lege TREND. Unintended Consequence of Over Crowded DMVs
Where: California
The legislation: AB 317 (2019 | CA) signed by Gov.
What it does: Prohibits people from selling their DMV line position to others who want a high position in line
Business TREND. Lobbying TREND. Hyperloop exploration in 9 states.
Who’s hyperloop project? Virgin Hyperloop One
Which states? Missouri, Texas, Colorado, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, & Oregon
Automotive News | Cities, states want to be first with high-speed tube travel
5 Reasons High Speed Rail Makes Sense in Texas
- Texas is flat
- Private funding of project means investors have faith in the project
- Economic Growth around train stations
- Expansion to other large Texas cities is inevitable
- “Driving and flying to Dallas sucks.“
Houston Press | 5 Reasons the Houston-Dallas High-Speed Rail Project Makes Sense
New Report: EV Tax Credits Ineligible
Who authored the report? US Department of Treasury Inspector General
What did it find?
- IRS has no process to detect false claims for the credit
- IRS has no process to prevent false claims for the EV credit
Recommendations:
- Cross check VIN numbers with 3rd party VIN databases
- Develop a compliance program at IRS to ensure EVs are the only vehicles claiming the credit
- Cross check VIN numbers of EVs leased too
- IRS should offer guidance to tax examiners for compliance
Local TREND. +1 City Council Actions Opposing High Speed Rail
Where: City of Teague, Board of Aldermen, Texas
What does Teague list as reasons to oppose high speed rail?
- No eminent domain authority & need it to complete the project
- Negative impact to property values
- Reduction in values and fewer uses of adjoining property
- Delays for emergency vehicles
- Prevents direct travel across the region.
- Serious safety concerns including: rail buckling, derailment, electromagnetic interference with freight rail, and concerns regarding proximity to natural gas facilities
- Expense and inconvenience of the proposed rail line may require future public subsidy
- “The Surface Transportation Board and the 87th District Court of Leon County have recently issued decisions against the Texas Central High-Speed Rail Project. “
Freestone County Times | CITY OF TEAGUE OFFICIALLY OPPOSED TO HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY
State Funding InterState Rail.
Where: A rail proposal between Los Angeles and Las Vegas
How much will California contribute? $0
What action will California take to financially help the privately funded train?
- approve $300 million in tax-exempt private activity bonds for Virgin Trains USA
- the private activity bonds will help Virgin Trains issue about $2.4 billion in debt
What are the touted benefits of the Los Angeles- Las Vegas high speed rail?
- The rail will remove nearly 4.5 million cars off the road each year
How long will it take? Construction to begin in 2020 and last 3 years
El Paso Inc | California to assist financing of California-Vegas train
+1 City Congestion Tax for Ride Share
Where: Vancouver Canada
What is the congestion tax? 30 cent fee for every pick-up and drop-off between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m
Who is in the opposition coalition?
- ride share companies and drivers
- Restaurant Association
Japan Bank for International Cooperation + MOU = Texas High Speed Rail
How do a Japanese bank, an MOU and Texas High Speed Rail connect?
- In 2018 Director and Governor for the Bank agreed to loan Texas Central $300 M
- In September 2019, an MOU between the Bank & the state of Texas was signed
- The MOU supports the promotion and encouragement of collaboration and development between the two regions
Does the bank invest in other Texas Projects? Yes, the Freeport LNG Project
STL News | Texas Governor Abbott Signs Memorandum Of Understanding With Japan Bank
3 States. 3 High Speed Rail Projects. 3 Different Levels of Progress.
Where are there high speed rail projects in the US? Texas, California, Florida
What are the difference in each project?
- California
- State and federal funds
- Initial plan was LA to San Francisco, & dialed back to Central Valley to San Francisco
- State Audits show the project billions over budget
- Not using existing rail, still acquiring land
- Services expected in 2028
- Texas
- Privately funded
- Houston-Dallas route
- Not using existing rail, still acquiring land
- Service expected 2024
- Florida
- Private Virgin Trains behind the project
- Proven success with the Miami and West Palm Beach train using existing track
- Orlando route expected 2022
Governing | Despite Missteps, High-Speed Rail Lines in 3 States Point to Progress
Local TREND. Cap Vehicle Leasing Fees for Ride Share + Drivers for Hire
Where: NYC
Who will benefit from the NYC cap on vehicle leasing costs?
- ride share drivers
- drivers for or-hire vehicle companies
What vehicles will it apply to?
- leased vehicles
- rental vehicles
- lease-to-own vehicles
- conditional purchase agreements of for-hire vehicles
Crains New York | Bill would cap vehicle costs for Uber and Lyft drivers
Governor Executive Order. Transportation and Climate Change.
State: California
What agency did the California Governor direct to take action? California State Transportation Agency, all state funds, including CALPERS, California Air Resources Board
What does the California State Transportation Agency have to do?
- investing in new technologies
- establish best practices
- reverse the trend of increased fuel consumption & reduce greenhouse gas emissions
What does the California Air Resources Board have to do?
- push automakers to produce even more clean vehicles
- find ways for more Californians to purchase clean vehicles
Anatomy of an Electric School Bus Proposal
Where: Virginia
How will EV school buses be funded? via VW emissions fund
Will other buses be included in the funding program? Yes, a small percentage of propane buses
Carrot: Easier Appeals of Permit Denials. Stick: Local Tax on Ride Share
Where: Seattle
What permit denials will Seattle make easier to appeal? sudden deactivations for ride share drivers
What is the proposed additional tax? 51 cents additional above the current 24 cents for licensing
What will the 51 cent ride share tax fund? affordable housing & street cars
Hyperloop Beats Rail.
Where: Missouri
What is the time differential for rail v. hyper loop to cross Missouri? Train takes 6 hours vs. 30 minutes on a hyperloop
Who is backing Hyperloop in Missouri? tech giant Virgin
What’s the timeline? operational within a decade
How do they plan to get around acquiring a lot of land? Using an existing Interstate right of way
How much will this run Missouri?
- $30 million to $40 million per mile
- 240 mile (Kansas City and St. Louis) $7.2 billion to $9.6 billion
Anatomy of an EV Public Private Partnership
Where: Detroit, MI
Who was in the partnership?
- DTE Energy
- City of Detroit
- PlanetM
- General Motors
- Blue Energy
How was the partnership able to roll out fast charging EVs in Detroit?
- Divide and conquer responsibilities
- DTE Energy & Blue Energy handled installation
- General Motors tested with its all-electric vehicles
- Utilizing public spaces managed by Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Top 3 EV Adoption Rates
California 7.84%
Washington 4.28%
Oregon 3.41%
National average 2%
What opportunities does the National Governor Association identify?
- Electrifying state fleets is a” largely untapped opportunity”
- Consider hydrogen fueled drive train for heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses as costs decrease
National Governor Association | Transportation Electrification: States Rev Up
Postmortem on TNC reactions to AB 5
What is AB 5? The California legislation that reclassifies gig economy workers as employees
What are the arm chair quarter backs saying about transportation network Companies response to the passage of the bill?
- Uber shouldn’t have taken the blanket position that drivers are not employees because there business isn’t driving, its technology platform
- it is the result of the hard-driving startup culture that enabled this position
- TNC’s can’t expect to repeatedly cut driver compensation and think people will be silent
INC | Uber Says New California Employment Law Doesn’t Matter Because Rides Aren’t Its Core Business
INC | The Big Mistake by Uber and Lyft That Led to Californias New Employment Law
Cost Estimates to Ride Share for Labor Laws.
Which labor law is being analyzed for its cost estimate? California’s AB 5 (2019 | CA) that defines gig workers as employees and not employees
The cost to industry: 30% increase in per driver costs
What are venture capital market analysts saying about the impact? The Gig Economy is not about economic stability. It’s flexibility with economic incentives.
3 Points. Local Governments. Grade Crossings. Bullet Trains.
Which bullet train project? California high speed rail
What portion of the project are local governments concerned about? Grade Crossings
What are the major concerns about bullet train grade crossings?
- grade separation is necessary to prevent traffic jams
- at grade trains would hinder emergency service vehicles
- at grade is a public safety concern for people & cars
Courthouse News Service | Bay Area Cities Grill Bullet Train Managers on At-Grade Crossings
A mayor wants to stop Foreign Made Rail Cars. Here’s what he’s doing:
Where:
Miami-Dade, FL
Which rail project is this?
Miami Dade monorail
What has the Mayor inserted into bid draft documents?
bar on participation by Chinese train and bus companies
Does the mayor have political backing?
- Yes, Florida’s two Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott who have warned of Chinese security issues
- Aligns with House Bill 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for 2019
New Local Regulation for Ride Share Drivers: Sex Trafficking Education
Where:
King County, WA
What requirement is King County considering for ride share drivers?
- adopting a curriculum for drivers to identify sex trafficking
- teach drivers warning signs of sex trafficking
- teach drivers how to help people who may be exploited
The draft of the local proposal.
K5 News | King County considers sex trafficking awareness training for Uber, Lyft drivers
New Ride Share Market in Texas.
Where:
Houston, Texas
What is the new ride share market:
An employee perk at Shell Oil company is a new Tesla ride share program
Who needs more info about the Tesla ride share program?
ElecTrip, a Tesla-based ride-sharing service headquartered in Houston
How many and what types of trips are covered?
- Shell approved $40,000 in vouchers for employees
- Trips include between Texas cities.
Bonjour other inter-city transportation services, there is a new kid on the block.
Houston Chronicle | Tesla-based ride service newest perk for Shell employees in Houston
+1 Economic Development Corp supports Texas High Speed Rail
Where:
Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation
What support to Texas Central Rail’s high speed rail did the EDC offer?
board unanimously approved a letter of support for Texas Central
The reasons Brazos Valley Economic Development Corp supports Texas Central Rail?
- Significant connection between Houston, Dallas and Brazos Valley
- Supports their mission to help companies launch, grow and locate in Brazos County
- The project would help the movement of business leaders, employees, residents, students and tourists
- Making the area more attractive to companies
Who else has offered support?
- Bryan city council
- College Station city council
- Brazos County commissioners
WBTX | BV Economic Development Corporation votes to support high-speed rail project
Anatomy of an EV Playbook from 1 of the big 3
Who: Ford
What is Ford’s EV strategy: Make their staple vehicles EVs- SUVs, trucks, fleets, cargo vans, mustangs
The goal: By not requiring a consumer to think of a new type of a car, sales will be volume driven and can be profitable
Automotive News | Ford’s EV strategy takes shape in search for popularity and profit
Transparency in Ride Share Fees?
Where: Nationwide
What: “Safe Ride Fee”
Who: the fee was imposed by Uber upon passengers
How much did this fee generate? $500 million
What was the rational for the fee? “an industry-leading background check process, regular motor vehicle checks, driver safety education, development of safety features in the app, and insurance.”
Does your city or state regulation address ride share fee transparency?
Inc. | Uber Reportedly Made $500 Million Selling This 1 Little Thing. (Customers and Drivers Really Don’t Like It)
Toll Cut = More Transportation Revenue
Where: Maryland
How can a toll cut increase transportation revenue? Reduction in tolls will drive volume on toll roads, increasing revenue
What proof do they have it could raise revenue? it worked before when Maryland cut tolls
WTOP | Toll cuts ‘could’ boost revenue, Md. transportation chief says
TREND. Vehicle Manufacturer Sells Insurance
Where: California
Who: Tesla
What is the game plan? This is a step toward self insuring driverless providing coverage for a Tesla fleet of driverless taxis
What’s the hook? Rates could be as much as 30% lower than traditional insurers’ rates
How can the rates be so much lower? Data. Vehicle data + Driver data = lower rates
3 Reasons Local Law Enforcement Adopts Teslas as Police Vehicles
Where: Bargersville, Indiana
What 3 benefits does Bargersville gain from switching to Teslas?
- cost savings of $6000/year
- reduced maintenance costs from gas powered vehicles
- noise reduction at night patrol
- frees revenue to increase hiring
Who else has adopted Teslas for patrol vehicles? Fremont, CA and Basel-Stadt, Switzerland have adopted the Model S
Tesla New York Twitter | August 30 2019
Teslarati | Tesla Model 3 officially joins police force in Indiana, cost savings highlighted
Opposition GamePlan. Fight Against Gig Economy Workers as Employees.
Where: California
What: The Legislature, regulatory decision makers and courts are on the side of gig economy workers being employees and not independent contractors
How much will the fight cost? $60 Million
What will $60 million cover? Includes fighting against a ballot proposition to clarify that gig economy workers are employees
Governing | Uber and Lyft Pledge $60M to Ballot Measure in Fight to Keep Drivers as Contractors
WRAL | Uber, Lyft, DoorDash promise $90M to fight bill for ‘gig workers’ rights
Lege TREND. Arming School Buses with Camera on their Stop Signs
Where: New York
What does the bill permit? Cameras to record once the automated arm stop sign is activated at a school bus stop
How would cities participate? Cities would have to take action to participate in the program and to be able to issue fines
Center for Digital Education | New Law Legalizes Stop-Arm Cameras in New York
Ports & Automation = Legislation & Study
Where: Port of Long Beach
What impact automation is being studied? “economic impact of port automation on the city”
What action triggered this economic impact study? International Longshore and Warehouse Union tried to stop automation projects at the Port
Is this issue limited to Long Beach?
- L.A. mayor has created a commission to study “the future of work at the Port of Los Angeles as part of an agreement between the ILWU, PMA and APM Terminals to establish a workforce training program for port workers.”
- L.A. county will study the potential economic impact of automation at the Port of Los Angeles
- AB1321 (CA | 2019) will also require study of the economic impact of port automation
- California Governor created the Future of Work Commission
American Shipper | Port of Long Beach will study automation’s impact on city
City Votes Down Electric Scooter Ban
Where: Nashville TN
What arguments were used to support a ban:
- “[Electric scooters] have created a greater strain on our police, fire and EMT departments,”
How did Nashville choose to move forward with scooters?
- fewer companies can offer scooters
- reduced scooter numbers by 50%
- more safety regulations
Community Impact | Metro Nashville Council votes down electric scooter ban
Anatomy of a State Funded. Utility Built EV Charging Network
Where: California
What agency is responsible for funding allocation? California Energy Commission
What funding has been allocated to Santa Clara and San Mateo counties?
- $21 million in incentives to Santa Clara County
- $12 million in incentives to San Mateo County
Who. Which utilities are involved?
- City of Palo Alto Utilities
- Peninsula Clean Energy
- San José Clean Energy
- Silicon Valley Clean Energy
- Silicon Valley Power
How will the partnership between the counties and utilities work?
- utilities pledge to contribute millions in matching funds
- utilities will be able to leverage local investment, CALeVIP funds will further expand EV charging accessibility
City of Palo Alto | State Proposes $21M for EV Charging in Santa Clara County
+1 State ZEV Mandate
Where: Colorado, would be the 10th state to adopt California’s ZEV policy
What will the Colorado ZEV mandate do?
- By 2023, 4.9% of new vehicles for sale must be battery-powered electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles, or others that produce zero emissions
- Targets increase until 2030
- Limited to light-duty cars and trucks
- Manufacturers can meet the standards by purchasing special ZEV credits
What does this mean for a gas powered vehicles? With the mandate 95% of an automaker’s cars for sale would still remain gasoline-powered
What agency is adopting the ZEV standards? Air Quality Control Commission
Colorado Sun | As Colorado considers an electric-vehicle mandate, here’s what to expect
State Makes it Easier to Pay for EV Charging
Where: California
How does the new easy payment system work? credit cards in lieu of FOBs
When did the push for easier EV paying start? 2013
Why did it take so long according to supporters of the new payment system? industry failed to solve the problem
What has industry done in response? Backing 2019’s AB 1424 (2019 | CA) the “Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act” which would restore contactless payment and require calls to a 800 number to pay by credit card
NRDC | California Moves to Make Paying for EV Charging Easier
Move Over Scooters, Welcome Delivery Robots on Sidewalks
Where: San Francisco
What: 1st ever permit for pilot of robotic sidewalk delivery
Who: Postmates
Postmates 3 goals when working with local officials:
- collaborative and inclusive approach to robotic deployment
- respect our public rights of way
- include community input
TechCrunch | Postmates Expects to land first ever permit to test sidewalk delivery in San Francisco
The Future of Autonomous Trucking Industry
Where is autonomous trucking companies setting up shop? Texas, Dallas
Why Texas?
- California was not providing an immediate short term regulatory path forward
- Texas weathercocks long period of snow that is not the best for sensors
- booming freight economy
Who?
- Kodiak Robotics,
- San Diego-based TuSimple,
- “truck platooning” company Peloton Technology
- Embark
- Starsky Robotics
Wired | SELF-DRIVING TRUCKS ARE READY TO DO BUSINESS IN TEXAS
State Transportation Agency Head: Transportation Planning IS Local.
Where: Pennsylvania
Who: Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards
What is the new local approach for transportation planning in Pennsylvania?
- Stop thinking about moving vehicles on a road
- Start thinking about regional planning
- Utilizing a diverse workforce
- Better accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists
- Improving relationships with cities and counties
+1 City Geofencing Rules for Scooters. Hello Stadiums!
Where: Denver
What: Geofencing requirements for all scooters that prevent use in certain areas
What are the prohibited areas for scooters?
- 16th Street Mall
- plaza in front of Union Station
- area around Coors Field during Rockies home games
Scooters Laws. Time of Use Restrictions.
Where: Atlanta
What: Scooter use will be prohibited at night
The policy concerns: safety after recent scooter rider deaths
Are other cities considering safety limitations for scooters? Yes, these 3:
- Dallas
- Nashville
- Athens GA
Any other city have night time limits on scooters? Yes Chicago
- scooters must be inoperable after 10 p.m.
- scooters must be off the streets by midnight
Star Tribune | Atlanta bans electric scooters at night, after deadly wrecks
TX Attorney General Opinion Motor Vehicle Title Loans
What question does RQ-0300-KP seek to answer?
Does Chapter393 authorize a credit services organization to assist a consumer with obtaining an extension of consumer credit in a form other than a deferred presentment transaction or motor vehicle title loan?
If yes, are “signature loans” with no collateral authorized?
What are we trying to get at? Are credit service organizations limited to offering, as an extension of consumer credit, only the products enumerated in Section 393.221?
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