Category Archives: local government

3 Reasons Ride Share Opposes a Ride Share Bill in Montpelier. Read the Bill.

The Vermont Senate added amendments to a ride share bill that turned a ride share cindustry bill into a bill that is opposed by ride share. 

What amendments were added to derail ride share?

  • Triple insurance liability requirements between rides
  • increased backgroudn checks
  • Annual registration requirements
  • 5 year grandfather protection for Burlington’s ride share ordinance

AP via Witchita Eagle | Uber, Lyft opposing Vermont bill

Burlington Free Press | Uber tries to sink Vt. bill about…

Local Government Trend. Self Driving Car Initiative. 3 Pieces of Intel to Know Now.

  • Portland launched an inititiative to bring self driving cars to its fine city
  • The mayor says it will lower traffic fatalities and improve congrestion
  • Local streets must be regulated by local agencies that know the streets best.

Portland Bureau of Transportation | Portland Launches Smart Autonomous Vehicles Initiative (SAVI)

KATU | Portland launches self-driving car initiative, wants pilot program by end of year

Local Gov. Trend: Public Private Partnerships in Airports.

City: St. Louis

Public Private Partnership Proposal: to lease its airport to a qualified airport manager backed by private infrastructure funds

Benefits of the P3 for Airports:

  • Cities can produce resources without adverse budget or ratepayer impact
  • Allows a broader allocation of resources when cities are starved for infrastructure investment

Governing | A Way to Unlock the Value of an Airport

Business Trend: Ride Share Co. $5 Per Hour Car Rentals.

Company: Uber

 Business Trend: Sharing economy meets car rentals. Uber will be offering $5/hr car rentals from designated pick up sposts around San Francisco.

How do regulatory and statutory issues factor into $5/hr rentals? $5/ hr covers insurance, gas and unlimited miles

Tech Crunch | Uber and Getaround to offer $5 hourly short-term car rentals for drivers

Comptroller: 5 Benefits to Texas. Expanded Panama Canal.

  • “any substantial increase in that trade could add billions to the state economy”
    • In 2015, $204 billion in international trade passed through Texas seaports
  • Greater efficiencies of Neo-Panamax ships could lower shipping cost by 30%
  • Lower costs can add 10% increase in Asian container traffic 
  • Capital Improvements. $48 billion on capital improvements during the next five years in Texas Ports to accomodate Neo-Panamax ships
  • New Development. $335 million marine terminal along the Houston Ship…

3 Issues with Ride Share to the Emergency Room

  • All emergency care facilities do not provide the same services
  • If a patient ride shares to the emergency room, and the patient needs a different hospital, then the person will be put in an ambulence
  • The extra 30 minutes of additional transportation can be a matter of life or death

WTOL 11 | More people are choosing Uber and Lyft for trips to emergency room

KTRK | ABC 13 Hou| GROWING NUMBER OF MEDICAL PATIENTS USING UBER OR LYFT FOR TRIPS TO THE ER

Trend Spotting. Ride Share. New Never Seen Before Requirements on Ride Share.

An alderman in Chicago wants to impose the following requirements on ride share in the Windy City:

  •  illuminated signs “visible from 50 feet away” for each driver/vehicle
  • pick-up only from side streets instead of major thoroughfares, just like taxis do

The policy reasons: to make it easier for police to identify ride sahre drivers

The cost of illuminated signs: $80

Chicago Sun Times | Alderman wants Uber, Lyft vehicles to have illuminated signs

Business Trend. Ride Share for non-emergency ambulance rides.

The companies: American Medical Response & Lyft

How many states are included in the non-emergency ride share program: 42

Can medical providers initiate riders too? Yes, hospitals, clinics and health plans can request and pay for rides for patients

healthcare dive | AMR teams up with Lyft for nonemergency patient rides

Envision health care | American Medical Response and Lyft Announce Partnership

Local TREND. Solve Transportation via Tech.

Examples of cities solving transportation woes with tech:

  • France’s cities are using smart trains
  • Los Angeles is using smart meters
  • Toronto is also turning to Internet of Things (IoT) technology to ease its traffic congestion 
  • New Delhi is  partnering with Google India’s transit unit to “provide free train schedule and route information to commuters through mobile devices with Google Maps