Category Archives: 2017 issue

INTERIM. 2016 Comprehensive Ride Share Texas Report.

What entity produced a ride share report? Texas A&M Transportatin Institute

What are the report highlights?

  • Defines ride share or transportation network companies
  • Defines the 5 Servies ride share provides:
    • ride sourcing
    • ride splitting
    • car pooling
    • taxi/car service
    • other: food delivery, courier, helicopter…
  • Lays out the 6 state policy areas that cover transportation network companies:
    •   Permits and fees.
    •   Insurance and financial responsibility.
    •   Driver and…

INTERIM. Self Driving Ride Share Launches.

Where: Pittsburgh

When: August 2016

Who: Uber and Volvo, the wonder twins, have joined forces to form of self driving ride-share

Why Pittsburgh?

  • Carnegie Mellon Robotics Program has produced the biggest names in the field. 
  • A leader in their pack joined Uber in early 2015

Bloomberg | The autonomous cars, launching this summer, are custom Volvo XC90s, supervised by humans in the driver’s seat.

2017 Promises. What the Right Says about Grimes County. High Speed Rail.

Empower Texas makes these points about Grimes County enacting county construction permits that will affect high speed rail:

  • Big Business is looking to profit from eminent domain
  • Rural counties oppose the project because of eminent domain
  • Rural counties will not benefit from the project
  • Texas Central Rail has assumed eminent domain authority

Empower Texas | Eminent Domain for High-speed Rail Faces Hurdle in Grimes County

TREND. 3 Points. Ride Share Favored Bill Failed in the West

The death knell issue: No commercial license plates for ride share drivers

The issue got squashed in substantive committee chaired by sibling to taxi industry: AB 828, which flew through the Assembly had a somber death in Senate Transportation, the chair’s brother is in the taxi industry

Will there be immediate impact to ride share? No. California’s DMV, which has adopted ride share rules, does not require commercial license plates for ride share drivers

The Recorder | Uber-Backed…

LOCAL TREND. County Permits to Build Rail. 5 Legislators Comment.

Which County wants to require county permits before construction on high speed rail may begin? Grimes County, Texas

Is the proposal supported by state lawmakers? Yes. Support has been indicated by Sen. Schwertner, Rep. Schubert, Sen. Birdwell, Rep. Ashby & Sen. Kolkhorst

What would trigger a permit? Any construction crossing a county right of way

What would the application include? A requirement that the entity has state or federal authority to use eminent domain

Are other counties…

How One County Filled a Rail Revenue Deficit with a Property Tax Increase. Special Districts.

The County: Dade County Florida

The revenue deficit: In 2002, the County promised that an 8% increase in sales tax rate would build 90 miles of rail. They’ve built 3 miles.

Are property taxes going to go up? No, the property taxes near the proposed rail lines will be captured by special districts.

Are P3s involved? Yes. The transportation special districts will work with private interests to  pursue private financing & operation of new transit projects within the special…

INTERIM. Ride Share and Drunk Driving. 3 Points from New Study.

Where was the new study published?  The July 2016 edition of The American Journal of Epidemiology

Did the study conclude ride share reduces drunk driving? No.

What reason did the authors give for ride share not impacitng drunk driving rates? Not enough ride share drivers yet

Washington Post | Is Uber reducing drunk driving? New study says no.