Insights from Inline Policy
Electric scooters are the latest addition to transport options in cities. They are user-friendly, green and increasingly popular with consumers, but in some cities they are causing headaches for policymakers.
The approach of certain transport tech companies has alienated urban authorities across the globe, and contributed to something of a backlash. However, there are signs that cities are beginning to see how they can accommodate the new players in the transport space.
Governments all over Europe are crafting policies and regulations that will lead to electric vehicles almost entirely replacing diesel and petrol cars within thirty years. In the UK, national policies are focused on creating the infrastructure for the electric vehicle revolution, but other policy initiatives and conflicting local priorities could impede the wider public policy goal.
On 6 October, a new acronym was introduced to the world of aviation and climate change. CORSIA – the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation – is the outcome of what many in the aviation industry have described as an “historic agreement” to tackle the burgeoning problem of aviation emissions.
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), more commonly referred to as ‘civil drones’ or ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAVs), can perform tasks that manned systems are sometimes unable to perform. They can be useful for surveillance purposes, border control, agriculture, firefighting, or media and entertainment, amongst other applications. The EU and some of its Member States have in recent years acknowledged the benefits of this new technology. The latter have, in certain cases, introduced new regulations that enable the industry to flourish, whilst minimising potential issues that may arise within their territory.
In recent weeks there have been numerous regulatory developments in the peer-to-peer car sector. The ongoing regulatory battles of Uber and Lyft, in particular, are grabbing the headlines and have illustrated how this is an area in which the regulatory environment is far from settled. The disruptive business models of such companies, all underpinned by advances in technology, are forcing policy makers to adapt regulatory frameworks which were often put in place decades ago.
