While the coronavirus has sent shockwaves through every service sector, the impact on the transportation industry has been especially severe. Automotive plants have shut down, new car sales have plummeted, and Uber and Lyft have reduced their workforce as social distancing has drastically reduced the demand for ride-hailing. In a world where stay-at-home orders are the norm, all forms of mobility have seen an abrupt decline and the entire transportation economy has suffered. Providers of shared mobility services like Uber, Zipcar, and Turo have struggled to sustain themselves in a world where consumers are ultra-conscious of human contact.

In a post-coronavirus world, mobility businesses will have economic incentives to deploy updated health practices to reassure their customers. But there are legal liabilities to consider as well. Lawsuits relating to the coronavirus outbreak have already begun and many more are expected. The threat of exposure-related lawsuits are of particular concern, especially as businesses reopen amidst uncertainty about the continued dangers of contracting the virus.
Continue Reading Life After Coronavirus: New Challenges for New Mobility Services

The automotive industry has long been a global market where manufacturers need to constantly monitor international laws and regulations. But as traditional automotive OEMs expand their product offerings to include services such as ride hailing, car sharing, and mapping, the legal risks are becoming increasingly localized.

Cities, states, and provinces have begun to flex their muscle in response to the introduction of new mobility products and services. New York city has placed a cap on the number of vehicles for ride-hailing platforms and will institute congestion pricing in early 2021. Los Angeles has created a tool for data collection and monitoring of private mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) companies. Peer-to-peer car sharing companies that compete with traditional rent-a-car agencies have challenged laws requiring them to pay local rental fees. And mapping services have been forced to navigate legal concerns over which local streets they can route users through. 
Continue Reading Localization of the Mobility Economy