Message from IATR President Matthew W. Daus
At this time of international crisis, with fast-moving hourly updates happening at lightning speed, it is becoming increasingly difficult for government transportation regulators to keep abreast of developments and varying approaches to managing the transportation aspects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many of our members’ governors and mayors are on the front lines with emergency and health care workers responding to the immediate public health threat.
IATR has launched and will continue, until further notice, providing a daily service with up-to-date daily developments on new policies, laws, and emergency measures taken by governments, transportation regulators, and the industry to help provide a steady information flow to help our members properly address problems in their jurisdictions. There are few sources out there that are devoted to providing dedicated coverage and developments of all transportation modes and sub-modes, internationally, nationally and locally. IATR will be sending updates at least daily until further notice on transportation legal, policy and business developments for taxicab, livery, black car, limousine, bus/motor coach, shuttles/airports, tour bus, public transit, micro-mobility, paratransit/Non-Emergency Medical Transport, TNC, and shared mobility. Basically, we will send along what we believe are critical or instructive information on basically everything on wheels that transports people for hire (and goods) – public and private – so that government transportation professionals can be kept well-informed and totally up-to-speed on the issues for which critical decisions need to be made.
The path to resiliency is dictated by knowing the facts to stay well informed when engaging in policy-making, and IATR’s mission is to facilitate regulators learning from one another before doing so. These daily updates will serve to educate our members, in addition to our IATR committee meetings and webinars, all geared to assist our members as they navigate the regulatory response to this pandemic – whether that be advising governors, mayors and their staff members on how to help the industry, or taking measures to dispense with the day-to-day operations and regulation enforcement (including insurance compliance, inspections, licensing fee deferrals, as well as other innovative approaches. Things may never be the same moving forward – as this is an entirely new and unexplored world. But IATR will be there for its members every step of the way as we chart this new course together. I know I speak for all public servants who are dedicated members of IATR when I say that we feel the pain of our regulated industries, especially the drivers and smaller businesses, as well as the riding public. Most of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people around the world suffering as a result of COVID-19, and we will get through this somehow, together. Stay safe, and healthy, and we will be in touch more than ever before.
