A step forward, a step back for robotaxis
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CoMotion LA ‘26 is back November 18-19 for a very special 10th edition: Cities on the Move: Mega-events, AI & Shaping What’s Next — featuring the OMF Summit Track.
Explore how major global events and emerging technologies are accelerating mobility innovation. Be in the room with the right people. Get your ticket now to secure the best pricing before rates jump.
Join the likes of LA Metro, SCAG, Open Mobility Foundation, LADOT, Schneider Electric, Alstom, Serve Robotics, Los Angeles World Airports, HNTB, SenSen, Elavon, Zoox, WSP, PayByPhone, Red Hat, LA28, MOVE LA, City of Long Beach, City of West Hollywood, Federal Aviation Administration, Monocle, Tranzito, Cities Today, The Transportation Channel, and many others.
Robotaxis are here to stay. The evidence is not only in the millions of miles safely traveled by the likes of Waymo and rivals in China, but the many other companies that are jumping into the fray. The newest entrant is an alliance between Stellantis, Uber and Wayve. And yet, each week also spotlights the challenges that stand in the way of widescale embrace, such as Waymo’s recall over construction zones.
Meanwhile, as Americans continue to get mowed down by massive trucks, European automakers are moving towards even smaller EVs.
What you need to know
Waymo issues another recall: The Alphabet-owned robotaxi service has restricted its vehicles from traveling on freeways in response to 13 known instances of vehicles either driving into highway construction zones (in Phoenix) or driving on freeway lanes with active construction (San Francisco). Meanwhile, the company is working on a software fix to the issue.
The agents taking over freight: As autonomous freight trucking takes off, startup Cargofly is developing “digital workers” to run the backend of the logistics business. The startup just raised $11 million in a Series A round to scale AI workers for freight operators in Europe. Its pitch to freight companies is that its AI agents can integrate with their existing processes, automating a variety of operations to allow human workers to manage larger fleets.
The World Cup Effect on our Cities
David Stevens, producer of The Urbanist — Monocles's flagship program on cities and urban affairs — talks with CoMotion Founder & CEO John Rossant about the tremendous pressure that the World Cup, Super Bowl and 2028 Olympics are putting on Los Angeles’s transportation systems. Rossant argues LA has done this before, and that these events are forcing the kind of upgrades the city has needed for years: new funding for LA Metro, extra capacity on match days, shuttle buses where trains still cannot reach the venues, and progress on long overdue links to LAX. The World Cup is brief but the city's transport legacy should not be.
Europe’s big ambitions for small EVs: European automakers are beginning to develop small electric vehicles that can comfortably navigate the narrow streets of the Old Continent’s ancient cities and appeal to budget-conscious buyers. The Renault Twingo, for instance, is priced at €19,490 ($22,300), well below any EVs on the market in the U.S. Said Renault’s chief of design, Laurens van den Acker: “The world is not going to be saved by big SUVs that are electric. The world is going to be saved by small electric cars.”
…speaking of big SUVs: A New York Times investigation shows how the increased popularity of large trucks and SUVs has led to a spike in pedestrian deaths in the U.S.
A new robotaxi triumvirate: Multinational auto giant Stellantis announces a collaboration with Uber and AV software maker Wayve to launch a robotaxi business. Stellantis manufactures the vehicles, Wayve provides the self-driving tech and Uber provides access to its vast ride-hailing network. This is the latest of numerous deals Uber has struck with other automakers and autonomous driving startups.
Partner Content
Advanced Air Mobility is moving from concept to early commercial reality, and Southern California, with its congestion, its aerospace legacy, and LA28 on the horizon, is one of the places where that transition will be stress-tested most visibly.
This week join us at Move LA's 2026 Community Conversation and Policy Conference. CoMotion's Daniel Eppstein joins Cynthia Guidry (CEO, Long Beach Airport), George Kivorkla (Archer Aviation), and Kevin Noertker (CEO, Ampaire) for a panel at moderated by Council member Tunua Thrash-Ntuk of the City of Long Beach. The conversation will cover what it actually takes to integrate a new mode of transportation into one of the world's most complex urban regions.
What we’re reading
Why is this Uber so expensive? We all expect the cost of an Uber or Lyft to vary based on demand, but a Consumer Reports investigation shows that the price that comes up for the same ride at the same time will often vary dramatically between customers. Consumer Reports suggests the companies
