IATR Committees

Upcoming Committee Meetings - TBA

Accessible Transportation Committee

Rupal Bapat

Deputy Commissioner of Public Passenger Vehicle Operations for the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP)

Rupal Bapat is a dedicated public servant with experience in streamlining processes, strategic direction, and relationship building. As Deputy Commissioner of Public Passenger Vehicle Operations for the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), Ms. Bapat is responsible for overseeing the licensing of transportation network providers (ride-hail industry), taxicabs, liveries, charter/sightseeing buses, ambulances, pedicabs, medicars, water taxis and commercial passenger boats. As an industry expert, Ms. Bapat was recognized by the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR) as the “Regulator of the Year” in 2021. Since assuming her role as Deputy Commissioner in 2011, Ms. Bapat eliminated outdated practices and was instrumental in modernizing licensing and regulatory framework for existing public passenger vehicle licensees and has adapted to a rapidly evolving marketplace and the disruptive technologies that change the face of transportation. Ms. Bapat was one of the first regulators to establish and implement a framework to license and regulate the ride-hail industry (transportation network providers or TNPs). She has implemented policies which have resulted in significant increases of greener and accessible public passenger vehicles. Ms. Bapat is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois since 1995. She is a graduate of IIT’s Chicago-Kent College of Law and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Isabelle Ducharme

Présidente du conseil d’administration chez Kéroul

Ms. Isabelle Ducharme is Chairwoman of the Board for Kéroul since 2010, a member of the GAATES Global Leadership Council for G3ict and an administrator on the Board of DisAbled women’s network Canada (DAWN). She has been working on social integration of people with disabilities for more than 25 years. During these years, Miss Ducharme has presented at various conferences and facilitated multiple workshops on creating awareness for integrating people with disabilities. Her personal experience of living with a spinal cord injury since her car accident in 1988 gives her unique insight in the barriers many persons with disabilities face. She truly understands the different needs and accommodation needed to attain full integration. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications at Université de Montréal and a Master’s degree in business and tourism planning at Université du Québec à Montréal. She also completed a course in “communication and leadership” from Dale Carnegie to further refine her presentation skills.

Health & Safety Committee

Dr. Cammie Chaumont-Menendez

Epidemiologist at National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Cammie Chaumont Menendez, PhD, MPH, MS, is a Senior Scientist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the past 10 years her research has focused on taxicab driver safety and disparities in work-related injuries. She has been recognized for her scientific achievements and her efforts to promote diversity in the workplace and a safe work environment for all workers. She is currently serving on her third National Academies of Science panel with the goal of improving transit worker safety and health. When not conducting research activities she is playing a leadership role in developing the National Occupational Research Agenda as it relates to traumatic injury prevention in the workplace. She is very grateful to have a career in public service.

TNC Working Group Committee

Terry Mercer

Associate Administrator for the Motor Carriers at the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers (DPUC)

Terry began his career at the DPUC in 2000 as the agency’s first-ever media/legislative relations coordinator for the agency, after an award-winning career as a print journalist. Terry worked his way up the New England newspaper ranks soon after his 1988 graduation from the University of Rhode Island, starting as a reporter for a small chain of Rhode Island weekly newspapers, moving to a editing position at a large daily newspaper in Fall River, Mass., and eventually serving for nearly four years as the managing editor of the Daily Gazette in Taunton, Mass. Since assuming the Associate Administrator role in 2002, Terry has been heavily involved with the National Conference of State Transportation Specialists (NCSTS) and currently serves as that group’s Secretary. In concert with his NCSTS duties, Terry also serves on subcommittees advising the Board of Directors for Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) system. He was recently appointed to President of NCSTS in 2018.

Technology & Innovation Committee

Jarvis Murray

For-Hire Transportation Administrator for the City of Los Angeles at Los Angeles Department of Transportation

Since 2016, Jarvis has been the Policy & Enforcement Administrator for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation which includes managing permitting and enforcement for taxicabs, dockless mobility, medical transportation, shuttles, and other for-hire vehicles modes for the City. Since 2016, Jarvis has been the Policy & Enforcement Administrator for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation which includes managing permitting and enforcement for taxicabs, dockless mobility, medical transportation, shuttles, and other for-hire vehicles modes for the City. Prior to this, Jarvis was the Enforcement & Legal Affairs Manager for the Taxi and Accessible Services division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency where he also assisted with enforcement of the Commuter Shuttle Program and managed the day to day operations of the department including permitting and enforcement. Jarvis is a licensed California Attorney and prior to joining the public sector practiced general litigation in the private sector which included representation of Taxicab Companies in personal injury and contractual disputes.

Canadian Regulators Committee

Sylvain Tousignant

General Director, Bureau du taxi de Montréal

Sylvain Tousignant was appointed director general of the Bureau du taxi de Montréal (BTM) in May 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience in change management, sales and public service. Prior to that, he had been the deputy general director for three years and had occupied management positions at BTM since 2015. Mr. Tousignant has wide-ranging expertise, a thorough understanding of current affairs and issues related to the remunerated passenger transportation by automobile (RPTA) industry. His goal is to make Montréal’s RPTA industry competitive, agile and appealing.

As part of his duties, he leads revitalization and modernization strategies benefiting Montréal’s RPTA industry. He is known for his participatory leadership style that automatically incorporates consultation and stakeholder value. He works closely with varied levels of government, large partners from the RPTA industry, and many organizations, associations and groups directly or indirectly linked to that industry, with a view to collaboration, while also focusing on developing strategic partnerships.

Among his achievements is the launch of the “BONJOUR” brand image for Montréal taxis, which was a major project to make the taxi industry stand out in a positive way and to optimize the urban experience of Montréal visitors and taxi users. Sylvain Tousignant also managed the creation and implementation of the Taxi Registry, an open data platform that collects real-time information on the location and availability of all taxis. This large-scale technical innovation will make it possible to bridge systems and dispatching, as well as mobility apps, and offers highly promising opportunities in terms of mobility management. Recently, Mr. Tousignant also oversaw the deployment of an exceptional program to support the Montréal taxi industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Committed to raising the profile of RPTA within urban mobility, Sylvain Tousignant works with partner organizations. He sits on the boards of directors of several committees and non-profit organizations as being the Chair of the Canadian Regulators’ committee of the International Association of Transport Regulators (IATR) and member of The Innovative committee & adapted mobility. He is 2018 International Regulator of the year and helped draft regulatory practices and model regulations on COVID-19 health, safety and resilience in order to provide regulators with specific rules and guidelines based on best practices.

Grant Heather

Manager of Vehicles for Hire (VFH)

Grant Heather is the Manager of Vehicles for Hire (VFH) for the City of Winnipeg at the Winnipeg Parking Authority. He has been in this role since January 2018. In December 2017, the City passed its Vehicle for Hire by-law and began working towards overseeing the regulation and licensing of the VFH industry effective March 1, 2018 when the industry was transitioned from the Province. He has been with City of Winnipeg for over 12 years, and prior to stepping into the world of “for hire” vehicles, was the Manager of Finance for the Winnipeg Parking Authority. He is an accountant, and holds a CPA, CGA designation.

Australian Regulators Committee

Karl Mortimer

Manager Regulatory Operations at Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT)

European Regulators Committee

Helen Chapman

Director of Licensing, Regulation and Charging at Transport for London

Helen is the Director of Licensing, Regulation and Charging at Transport for London, a role which brings together TfL’s Road User Charging authority and taxi and private hire regulator into one, dynamic directorate to tackle some of London’s most pressing and politically complex air quality, technology, safety and regulatory challenges. Helen has overseen the introduction of a number of new initiatives in London including the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and a suite of new regulatory requirements and standards for the taxi and private hire industries. Following the publication of Business Insider’s 2018 Tech 100, Helen was named as one of ‘the 100 coolest people in UK tech’ for her work in holding large private hire operators to regulatory standards in London.

Wendy Thompson

Director of Transport Regulation, National Transport Authority, Ireland

Wendy Thompson was appointed as the Director of Transport Regulation in December 2019 with the Irish National Transport Authority, having previously served as Head of Taxi Regulation. The Authority is a statutory non-commercial State body, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Transport of Ireland.

Wendy regulates several public transport and parking service providers in Ireland including SPSV (small public service vehicle – taxi and private hire), commercial bus, vehicle clamping, micromobility, and EU Passenger Rights for maritime, rail, and bus and coach services. Currently, the main aspects of this licensing and enforcement role revolve around providing high quality, accessible, safe, sustainable, affordable services with enhanced rural transport service availability. At the Authority, she has been responsible for expanding the Irish taxi and private hire fleet penetration from less than 4% to 18% of wheelchair-accessible vehicles with trained drivers.

She is also a member of the BusConnects Programme Board delivering a fully revised, accessible bus system throughout Dublin, combining both service network redesign and the construction of priority bus corridors throughout the city and suburbs.

Wendy holds degrees and master’s qualifications in law, finance, insurance, risk management, and governance. She is also an accredited mediator. Her background crosses both public and private sectors. During her time in the private sector, Wendy focused on accident investigation and defense litigation in the public liability and professional indemnity insurance fields nationwide.

We invite anyone who is interested in joining any of the committees to kindly send a message on our Contact Us page.

Committees in formation:

Central & South American Regulators Committee
African (MENA) Regulators Committee

Transportation Lawyers Network