Category Archives: local government

Local TREND. 4 Reasons City Choose Solar Powered EV Charging

Fort Lauderdale chose Envision Solar International Inc.’s EV ARC product to provide emissions-free charging for electric fleet vehicles.

The city rational:

  • increase energy security
  • reduce carbon footprint
  • works when the grid is interrupted (hurricanes and emergencies)
  • includes a power panel for first responders

Next Gen Transportation | Fort Lauderdale Fleet Goes With Solar-Powered EV Charging

Local TREND. Paying Ride Share Costs to Mass Transit

Where: Boise, Idaho

How much is Boise willing to pay mass transit riders to use ride share to get to mss transit?

  • up to $6 of the ride’s cost

Are there limitations? Yes, the ride share ride must be within 2miles of certain mass transit stops

Other cities getting on board? yes, Minneapolis & Seattle

​Idaho Statesman | Boise wants you to ride public transit so badly, it’ll pay for your Lyft to a bus stop

 

Local TREND. Lege TREND. Anatomy of a Scooter Deal. What happens when start ups play nice?

How did this start? Portland started a 4 month pilot program with scooter companies that involved data sharing. The report from the pilot program.

What did the data sharing report show?

  • short car trips replaced in 34% of scooter use
  • fewer accidents
  • reduce congestion
  • reduce pollution

What takeawy did Portland have? “It is better to ask permission and work with local regulators than risk being run out of a community.”

Are there examples of what happened when scooter companies didn’t ask for…

Lege TREND. Transportation Interim Charge Recommendations. 2019 Texas Legislature. Speed Read.

House Committee on Transportation recommends:

  • TXDOT cooperation with local governments durin emergencies for evacuation routes, signage, and emergency management information systems
  • comprehensive development agreements for projects which are not included in TxDOT’s Uniform Transportation Program should be OK if local governing bodies approve them
  • If local governmental bodies have approved toll roads they should be able to have toll roads
  • Increase to 6, from 3, the number of design-build…

EV Stakeholder 10 Recommendations for Cities.

An EV stakeholder group that includes:

10 recommendations for cities from the stakeholder group:

  • outreach, be a champion for EV charging
  • vision, have a plan that is adaptable
  • highy visible charging stations
  • aesthetics, make EV charging locations places people want to stop and charge
  • EV chargers need to be easy to use and well maintained for reliability
  • EV chargers shouldbe connected and smart
  • Add EVs to city…

Funding TREND. Ride Share Fee to pay for Transportation.

Where is this happening? Georgia

Why? Geogrias’ Department of Transportation says Uber owes the state $22.1 million in sales taxes and other charges. 

The ride share response? We are a tech company and not a transportation company subject to the sales tax like limos and taxis are

What is the fee proposal from the REPUBLICAN chair of the House Transportation Committee?

  • 50-cent fee on all rides for hire – including taxis, limos, Uber and Lyft, etc
  • Estiamted to generate $60 million a year for…

Local TREND. Anatomy of a Ride Share Senior Program. Private Public Partnership with County.

Where: Macon Georgia

What entities are involved in the partnership?

  • ride share companies
  • GoGoGrandparent
  • Decatur-Macon County Opportunities Corp
  • Community Foundation of Macon County

How is it funded? In part with anonymous grants to Community Foundation of Macon County

Herald Review | New program will offer free Uber, Lyft rides for low-income Macon County seniors

Local TREND. Local Rules for Reporting. Ride Share. 3 Points from the Rules. state preemption Loophole.

Where: Pittsburgh, PA

Why? Without a police report or accident report, there is no knowledge of accidents involving ride share and autonomous car companies

What are the parameters for local rules being considered in Pittsburgh?

  • encourage autonomous vehicle companies to self-report certain non-fatal traffic incidents
  • the goal: transparency

Where does the loophole come in? State laws that address TNCs but local ordinances apply to reporting to all incidents involving all subsisdiaries of a…

2 Free Market Reasons to Support Texas High Speed Rail

 

  • “rail is usually the most efficient way to move goods and people over distance”
  • Private investors and the market should determine if Texas High Speed Rail is a success
    • “Legislators, that’s not your role,”.. to detemrine if the business model makes sense

 

Trib Talk | Tom Giovanetti,  President, Institute for Policy Innovation | A free-market “yes” to Texas high-speed rail