Ayeshah Abuelhiga

‘New mobility landing sighted!’ 😉 and as regulators become skeptical, there’s something about them that makes (or should make) transportation planners and engineers notice. There’s a place for shared 🛴, it fits a need. Julie White explains. #regulations #policy #sharedmobility #micromobility #newmobility North Carolina Department Of Transportation The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast

8

How to Improve NYC’s Congestion Pricing Program! In my latest column in Black Car News, I examine the one-year impacts of New York City’s congestion pricing program on taxis, for-hire vehicles, and transit funding. Read an excerpt below: One year into implementation, New York City’s congestion pricing program has transformed from a proposal to a policy that touches millions of daily trips, thousands of regulated vehicles, as well as the financial health of the for-hire industry and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Claims about economic harm or environmental impacts dominated the earliest debates surrounding congestion pricing. Now, we can evaluate how the program is functioning and determine whether it can be refined to advance affordability, sustainability and other policy goals.   This assessment is particularly important for the taxi, for-hire vehicle (FHV) and bus industries. These sectors are not discretionary users of the roadway; they are essential mobility providers. One year in, many are asking whether congestion pricing, as currently structured, is effectively managing congestion without placing disproportionate burdens on the very services that keep the city moving. In addition, it is worthwhile to consider how Mayor Mamdani’s “Fast and Free Buses” policy should be factored into this discussion of transit funding and congestion impacts in the Central Business District and beyond.   …   It is not possible to accurately assess the full impact of congestion pricing in little over one year. Part of the difficulty is that we need more data to distinguish between overarching factors, such as the City’s economic recovery from the pandemic. In 2025, as compared to 2024, the hotel occupancy rate increased by 5% and Broadway attendance ticked up by 10%. Midtown and Midtown South office leasing recovered to pre-COVID levels in 2025.   Given this positive economic picture, it is odd that despite this increased economic activity, taxi and FHV trips to, from, and within the CBD are essentially flat, which is what the MTA data shows. This finding is essentially corroborated by my independent analysis of the TLC data, which used a substantially similar dataset as the MTA (note: MTA and I both rely on publicly available TLC Trip Data, but unlike the MTA’s dataset my analysis includes data from October, November 2025, and projected data for December, which is not yet available.). According to this research, in 2024 there were just under 109 million taxi and HVFHV trips to, from and within the CBD; in 2025, that number appears to be about 1% lower, at 107.5 million trips. https://lnkd.in/edd5shCZ #CongestionPricing #NYC #TransportationPolicy #MTA #TaxiIndustry #ForHireVehicles #TransitFunding #MobilityEquity #UrbanMobility #PublicPolicy

12

1 Comment

Transit disorder starts with fare evasion and invites bigger trouble as riders pay the price. That’s why FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro has been urging transit systems to crackdown on fare evasion. Check out this article below to see how fare evasion is costing taxpayers -- five major cities are losing up to $1.2 billion a year. https://lnkd.in/g9WEvtEn

21

6 Comments

NYPTA is urging a 15% increase in STOA funding for non-MTA transit systems in FY 2026–27, followed by steady, incremental increases in the years ahead—supporting reliable, efficient service for communities statewide. We also continue to advocate for maintaining the STOA Formula Hold Harmless, providing critical operating stability for transit systems as ridership continues to rebound and service demands grow across New York.

8

The Federal Transit Administration just announced nearly $2 billion in competitive funding for 165 projects across 45 states and D.C. through its Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities and Low or No Emission programs. This year, most awards are going toward CNG and hybrid buses, marking a notable pivot from recent rounds that were more focused on battery-electric fleets. These programs continue to play a critical role in strengthening transit systems nationwide: 🔹 Buses & Bus Facilities – supports purchasing and rehabilitating buses and vans, and constructing or improving maintenance facilities. 🔹 Low or No Emission Program – helps agencies acquire low/no-emission vehicles and the supporting infrastructure needed to operate them. 🔗 Learn more and view the full award list here: https://lnkd.in/ehq4kQSj

3

Did you know...Our Office of Innovative Mobility published a Transportation Demand Management Toolkit. The toolkit shares an overview of TDM strategies, best practices, local Colorado examples, and more. 🌐 Check out the toolkit on the Mobility Service's TDM page: https://lnkd.in/edZX_ckx.

30