Capitol Agenda for the Week of July 9: Get Lyft’ed
More than a flashy, pill-shaped light to be placed on the dashboard, it’s a tool to further advance the transportation sector’s culture of safety. We’re talking, of course, about the Lyft Amp.
Launched nationwide in 2016, the tool debuted recently in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area after clearing a legislative hurdle. Lyft claims to be the first rideshare company to introduce the concept and deploy to its drivers.
Besides a chic, bright look, the tool is designed to improve communication by providing a unique alert to passengers waiting for a Lyft, as well as in-car updates.
“Because the light on the Amp aligns with the light icon in a passenger’s app, passengers can be more certain that they’ve found their Lyft ride,” Steve Taylor, Lyft’s Mid-Atlantic regional manager, told Transport Topics. “Lyft is always seeking ways to better connect passengers and drivers.”
The hope is that by speeding up passengers’ recognition of their Lyft ride, the flow of traffic along the nation’s capital, and other regions, will improve. Eventually, every road user will experience the benefits, including commercial drivers working in and out of urban centers who are quite familiar with being stuck in traffic. Congestion on the national highway system costs the trucking industry more than $63 billion annually, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
The Lyft model of enhancing communication between users and vendors may pave the way for other firms — private or public — to improve how they treat passengers.
THE WEEK AHEAD: (all times EDT)
July 10, 8 a.m.: The National Transportation Safety Board hosts a hearing on the December 2017 Amtrak train derailment in DuPont, Washington and the February 2018 Amtrak collision with a freight train near Cayce, South Carolina.
July 11, 8 a.m.: Politico hosts Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) for a discussion on “The New Age of Innovation: Government’s Role in Artificial Intelligence.”
July 11, 10 a.m.: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meets to examine federal infrastructure loans.
July 11, 1 p.m.: The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board meets to discuss open investigations, the status of audits from the Office of the Inspector General, and financial and organizational updates.
July 12, 8:30 a.m.: The Economic Club hosts Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).
July 12, 9 a.m.: The Brookings Institution hosts a conference on “Leveraging America’s manufacturing resurgence.” Speakers include Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Mary Hallward-Driemeier, senior economic adviser for finance, competitiveness and innovation at the World Bank.
July 12, 10:30 a.m.: The Bipartisan Policy Center examines environmental concerns in the oil and gas industry.
July 12, noon: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hosts a teleconference of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan board of directors to developing and implementing the unified carrier registration plan and agreement.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
OK COMPUTER: It’s been six months since the electronic logging device mandate went into effect, and three months since stepped-up-enforcement kicked in. So now’s a good time to ask: How Have ELDs Changed Trucking?
OIL!: The U.S. average retail price of diesel rose 2 cents to $3.236 a gallon, while the price of a barrel of oil climbed amid a tightening of inventory.
LABORATORIES OF DEMOCRACY: Fuel is now more expensive in seven states: Oklahoma, South Carolina, Indiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Vermont and Iowa.
ROAD TO NTDC:
From delivering pizzas to grand champion: The story of Montana’s Tracey James.
BUZZ:
Floor debate for the Senate Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill remains uncertain, sources tell Transport Topics.
WHAT WE’RE READING:
Glider kits update at U.S. EPA, courtesy of The New York Times.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
I ran because I felt like we could do better and that we could be better as a country.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, winner of NY-14’s Democratic primary, during an appearance on The View last month.
FAVORITE VIDEO:
The Shaqnado Squawks
FAVORITE TWEET:
“Our republic and its press will rise or fall together.” — Joseph Pulitzer
Yes, we’re putting out a damn paper tomorrow. https://t.co/ScNvIK1A4R — Capital Gazette (@capgaznews) June 29, 2018
Thanks for reading Capitol Agenda. We publish weekly when Congress is in session. E-mail emulero@ttnews.com with tips. Follow us @eugenemulero and @transporttopics.
