In April 2017, the transportation network company (TNC) Uber held a conference called Elevate Summit where it revealed a plan for on-demand urban air transportation. Uber’s plan was already in an advanced state of development, had included a number of industry and government stakeholders in its preparation, and proposed two pilot projects, one in Dubai, […]
TNC
New Report: Policy Implications of Transportation Network Companies
Transportation network companies (TNCs) are rapidly expanding organizations that use digital technologies to connect passengers to drivers who use their personal vehicles to provide for-hire ride services. This research was designed to help Texas policy makers navigate the evolving policy considerations presented by the rising popularity—and accompanying controversy—of TNCs. This report presents the findings of […]
State vs. Local Control at the Center of Legislative Debates for Ride-Hailing Providers
Since 2013, 45 state legislatures have passed bills that impose some degree of statewide regulation on transportation network companies (TNCs). TNC is the term given to private-ride service providers such as Uber and Lyft. In six states, including Texas, the regulation focused on insurance requirements for TNCs and TNC drivers. In 39 states, a more complex regulatory framework was introduced. Often, these bills explicitly overrule existing TNC ordinances and the local authority to regulate TNCs. This is sometimes called state “preemption” of local authority. While state versus local authority is an important governance issue, it’s intertwined with the regulatory question of how much TNCs should be regulated (if at all) and the extent to which TNC regulations need to be tailored to local context.
In the current legislative session, Texas lawmakers are considering TNC legislation that would preempt local ordinances in 20 Texas cities and replace it with a statewide law.
TTI Experts Brief Legislators on Ride-Hailing Company Research, Port Infrastructure Issues, Exports
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers Ginger Goodin and Maarit Moran outlined the agency’s latest research on transportation network companies (TNCs) for members of the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce on Mar. 14. Goodin, the director of TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center, outlined in her testimony how TNC operations have expanded rapidly in […]
From the Mailbag: TNC Background Checks?
The Transportation Policy Research Center gets questions from legislative and other offices. Today’s question is about background checks and companies like Uber and Lyft, known as Transportation Network Companies (TNCs). The answer is provided by TTI Associate Transportation Researcher Maarit Moran. Question I’m doing some research concerning statewide TNC legislation and I came across your […]
House Transportation Committee Interim Report
The House Transportation Committee has issued its 68-page Interim Report to the 85th Legislature. Following up on study charges issued by the Speaker of the House, the report studies a number of topics and provides recommendations. The Legislature may take those recommendations into consideration but is not required to. The report is found in full […]