AGENDA
8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Decorator Set-up
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Claims Prevention & Risk Management Pre-Conf (Optional)
This Pre-Conference event will help owners, safety professionals, and training personnel understand where claims originate, how to reduce preventable incidents, and what to do when an accident, incident, or claim occurs.
The program follows the full risk-management cycle: understanding the causes and costs of claims; establishing effective policies and controls; preventing incidents through training, technology, securement, and operational practices; responding appropriately when an incident occurs; and managing the resulting claim through resolution and future insurance renewal.
Registration: Additional $100 Ticket Required – Purchase on the Main Mobilize Registration Form, or email info@thetransportationalliance.org to add the pre-con to an existing registration.
9:00 – 10:30 AM
Foundation Board Meeting (by invitation only)
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
TTA Board Meeting (by invitation only)
12:00 – 2:00 PM
Vehicle Move-In
2:00 – 6:00 PM
Registration Open
2:00 - 5:00PM
Autocab User Group Meeting (Separate registration required. Register Here)
Connect with fellow operators, industry leaders, and the Autocab team as we discuss:
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Recent Autocab feature releases and enhancements
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Upcoming products and innovations currently in development
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Best practices and success stories from operators
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Product roadmap insights and future opportunities
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Interactive discussion, feedback, and networking
Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
Whether you're a long-time Autocab user or want to learn more about what's ahead, this session is a great opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and help shape the platform's future.
2:00 – 5:00 PM
Exhibitor Display Set-up (hall closed to all except exhibitors)
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception & New Member Meetup
7:30 - 9:30 PM
Mobilize Our Mission: Under the Cali Stars (additional tickets required)
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
TTA Registration Desk Open
8:00 – 8:45 AM
New & Prospective Member Breakfast (by invitation only)
9:00 – 9:30 AM
General Session Welcome (Breakfast)
9:45 – 10:45 AM: Breakout Sessions
Artificial Intelligence
Warming up to A.I
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Speaker: Jason Wells, AI Dev Lab
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Description: Most AI talks stop at "what's possible." This session is built around what's practical for operators running real operations with real constraints. The goal is simple: walk out with a method and a next step you can actually use Monday morning, not a tour of tools you'll forget by Friday.
The Session Covers:-
How to pick the right first project: A simple, repeatable method for finding the one high-ROI constraint worth automating without wasting budget.
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A live build, in the room: Building a working agent on the spot for a problem the audience names to see the doing, not just a finished demo.
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How to know it worked: The one number to measure, plus early benchmark data on how operators are adopting AI.
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Doing it safely: A quick, plain-language rundown of data security so nobody has to guess what's safe.
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Safety & Loss
What’s in Your Accident Preparedness Toolbox
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Speakers: Jovan Ivosevic, RideYellow; Jeremy Oliver, Yellow Cab Taxi; Bradley Akins, Harris & Hart
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Description: Every transportation provider will eventually face an accident, vehicle incident, passenger injury, employee injury, medical emergency, or serious customer complaint. The difference between a minor disruption and a major organizational crisis often comes down to preparation. This session brings together the most valuable lessons from this year’s Transportation Alliance Safety Committee discussions and focuses on the tools, policies, training, and resources every transportation organization should have in place before an incident occurs
Regulations
Mobilizing for Fair Regulation & Competition with Transportation Network Companies (TNCs)
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Speaker: Matt Daus, International Association of Transportation Regulators
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Description: This session will present the findings of the report prepared by the University Transportation Research Center (U.S. Department of Transportation Region 2) of the City University of New York in collaboration with The Transportation Alliance Foundation, identifying the regulatory gaps and issues that continue to create an uneven playing field and which stand in the way of innovative partnerships between taxicabs and TNCs, as well as how the TNC business model has impacted competition in the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) industry. The report’s findings will be followed by a panel discussion representing the perspectives of the taxicab and limousine industries, as well as the ride-hailing industry and views of regulators who have been triaging and trying to work around or address these regulatory disparities.
Business Development
The Power of Relationships in Public-Sector Contracting
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Speakers: Jack Marsh, zTrip; Steve Yaffe, Yaffe Mobility Consulting; Marco Soto, Yellow Cab
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Description: Winning government and school transportation contracts takes more than submitting a strong proposal. Success requires building trust long before an RFP is released. This session will explore how transportation providers can develop meaningful relationships with decision-makers at the federal, state, local, and school-district levels. Attendees will learn how to:
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identify the right contacts,
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establish credibility,
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participate in the process before a procurement is developed,
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sustain interest throughout the procurement cycle, and
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position their companies as trusted partners while respecting procurement rules and ethical boundaries.
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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Breakout Sessions
Operations
Building Better Drivers: Creating a Successful Driver Mentor Program
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Speaker: Melissa McGehee, zTrip
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Description: Strong drivers are developed through more than onboarding and classroom training. A structured mentor program can help new drivers build confidence, strengthen customer service skills, understand company expectations, and become productive members of the team more quickly. Melissa McGehee of zTrip will share practical strategies for creating and managing an effective driver mentor program. Attendees will learn how to identify and prepare strong mentors, establish clear expectations, support new drivers during their first weeks on the job, and use mentoring to improve engagement, performance, and retention.
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Attendees will learn how to:
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Select and prepare effective driver mentors
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Build a consistent mentoring and onboarding process
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Strengthen driver performance, confidence, and accountability
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Use mentoring to improve retention and company culture
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Insurance
Tackling the Affordability Crisis through Insurance and Tort Reform for the Passenger Ground Transportation Industries
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Speaker: Matt Daus, International Association of Transportation Regulators
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Description: This panel discussion will bring together regulators, operators, and insurance professionals to discuss the current insurance crisis and regulatory issues identified in the TTAF report, as well as other reports issued or to be issued by the UTRC in the limousine and bus industries. The panel will address how affordability and grass roots efforts have and could lead to meaningful tort reform for the taxi, limousine and non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) industries, with specific examples from around the U.S. A path forward for collaboration will be identified between various organizations, including TTA, IATR, GBTA and others, and how reforms can be advanced through new methods supplementing lobbying and media relations efforts.
NEMT
Safeguarding Your Company with Higher Margin Work
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Speaker: Jeremy Scalzi, M7Ride
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Description: Preparing for the inevitable introduction of autonomous vehicles and flying taxis starts with reshaping the work your fleet does. Training and preparing your fleet for higher-acuity markets is paramount to the future of all operators in the US. Learn how to set your business apart from the others by doing what traditional operators do best – helping people. This session will discuss service levels above curb-to-curb, how to implement them, and where to find the trips.
Artificial Intelligence
Applications of AI Solving Real-World Problems
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Speakers: Sivashankar Yoganathan, Moter; Debarshi Chaudhury, Quantilus; and Kelly Milan, OneOpsAI/Sunshine Rides
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Description: AI has moved beyond experimentation into tangible, operational impact. This “AI 2.0” session will showcase concrete, real-world applications of artificial intelligence across transportation and adjacent industries, highlighting what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s next. Learn how AI is transforming fleet risk management and insurance risk monitoring, walk through real implementations of AI in day-to-day operations, and explore AI projects across transportation and other sectors.
12:00 – 2:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
2:15 – 3:15 PM
KEYNOTE: Change is Mandatory...Stress is Optional
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Speaker: Garrison Wynn fuses comic timing and research to deliver motivational business expertise. For 30 years, he has presented on five continents for organizations including Amazon, Coca-Cola, Liberty Mutual, Mercedes-Benz, FedEx, BNSF, the NFL, and NASA. He is also an Amazon #1 bestselling author who has been featured in Forbes and Inc.
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Description: In top-performing organizations, great leadership and influence aren’t optional…they’re contagious. This high-energy, research-based keynote blends humor (the funny kind) with proven tactics to help leaders and influencers communicate clearly, build trust quickly, and create a culture that sticks. Garrison shows how to reduce resistance to change, engage every generation, improve safety and accountability, and attract the people you need now, especially in a transportation industry facing constant operational, workforce, and technology challenges. Because culture isn’t what you believe or post on the wall. It’s what people feel at work. Expect practical tools, real-world insight, and a contagious spark that makes change easier, stress lower, and communication more influential than ever.
3:30 – 4:30 PM: Breakout Sessions
NEMT
Leveraging Your Training into New Revenue Streams
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Speaker: Dan Reid, Grove Transit
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Description: If you're already operating in NEMT, you've built more infrastructure than you probably give yourself credit for. Driver qualification files, background check and drug screening workflows, defensive driving and passenger assistance certification, HIPAA and sensitivity training, vehicle inspection routines, and a documented onboarding process are not just compliance overhead; they are the entry requirements for adjacent markets. Secure transport, student transportation, adult day care and senior services, and private-pay medical transport all draw on the same foundation you've already paid for. This session identifies how you can leverage the processes you already have in place expand into NEMT-adjacent service lines, and how to evaluate which adjacent line fits your fleet, your staffing, and your market before you chase it.
Operations
Working the Numbers: Operational KPIs that Drive Better Decisions
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Speakers: Roman Genov, SkyTrans; Chase Lafferty, H&M Transport; Kelly Millan, OneOpsAI/Sunshine Rides
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Description: Transportation operators sit on a wealth of data, but the real challenge is deciding which metrics matter and how to use them to run a better operation. This session focuses on the operational and financial KPIs that should be on every operator’s radar. Roman Genov, Chase Lafferty, and Kelly Milan will walk through the core metrics transportation leaders should be monitoring across areas such as fleet performance, driver productivity, on time performance, service quality, revenue, expenses, and customer satisfaction. The discussion will center on what to look at and why it matters, with a brief, high level look at how business intelligence tools can help you organize and visualize these metrics.
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Attendees will learn how to:
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Identify the operational and financial KPIs that matter most for day to day decision making
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Align KPIs with strategic and operational goals, so staff know what “good” looks like
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Safety & Loss
Risk Management: Polices and Procedure Matter
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Speakers: Marc Crawford, S.W.A.N Insurance; Jim Cermak, Driverge; and Tom Sikkema, Ride YourWay
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Description: Strong policies and procedures are more than paperwork, they are the foundation of safer operations, effective training, and better insurance outcomes. Through real-world examples and an interactive discussion, panelists will explore what insurers look for when evaluating risk, why ongoing and documented driver training matters, and how operators can ensure written policies are consistently followed in the field. Attendees will leave with practical proactive strategies to strengthen procedures, prepare for incidents, improve documentation, and build a safety-first culture throughout their organizations.
Autonomous Vehicles
Will Autonomous Vehicles Help or Hurt the Taxicab, Limousine and Ride-Hailing Industries?
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Speaker: Matt Daus, International Association of Transportation Regulators
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Description: There is no shortage of media stories on this topic lately, as AVs are scaling in certain states and cities around the USA. This panel will do a deep dive into how regulators are handling overseeing AV operations – testing and deployment, as well as the perspectives of both the AV industry and the taxi, limo and NEMT industries as part of a debate into the role of AVs (if any) in the near or long-term for TTA’s operator members. Will AV robotaxis cause TTA members to lose business, and is it an existential crisis – or does this movement create a grand opportunity to help the industry pivot, grow, and flourish through fleet management and other partnerships with the ride-hail and AV industry? Will AVs replace ambulatory NEMT services in the near or long-term market? While only time will tell, now is the time to discuss this important topic.
4:30 – 7:00 PM
Reception in Exhibit Hall
8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Registration Open
8:45 – 10:00 AM - Main Stage Fireside Chat
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Uber and the Future of Mobility: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond (30 Mins)
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Description: How does Uber see its role in the rapidly changing mobility industry, and where do established transportation providers fit into that vision?
Hear directly from Uber about the current state of its partnerships across the transportation industry, including its work with taxi operators, and how those relationships may evolve. The conversation will look at what is happening today, what operators can expect soon, and how autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies could reshape passenger transportation in the years ahead.
This main-stage discussion will give attendees an inside look at Uber’s evolving mobility strategy and what it could mean for transportation companies, drivers, and the communities they serve.
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Planning for Exit Strategies: A fireside chat with the industry’s most experienced dealmakers
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Description: Will you pass your company to the next generation, sell it, or continue building it into something larger? Every business owner will eventually face that decision, but preparation should begin long before the time comes.
Mitch Rouse, Bill George, and Robbie Werth have experienced transactions from nearly every side. They have built and scaled transportation companies, sold to strategic buyers, worked through private-equity ownership, bought businesses back, and gone on to become acquirers themselves.
In this candid fireside chat, they will share what those experiences taught them about preparing a company for sale, what buyers really evaluate, why scale matters, and how smaller operators can position themselves for future opportunities. They will also discuss the parts of a transaction that don't always go as planned, because a successful deal for the seller isn't automatically a successful deal for the buyer.
Whether you are considering an exit, pursuing an acquisition, or focused on building a stronger, more valuable company, this conversation will offer practical lessons from leaders who have done it.
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10:15 – 11:15 AM
International Prospective
International Regulatory Perspectives from Canada, Australia & Beyond!
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Speakers: Matt Daus, International Association of Transportation Regulators; Blair Davies, Australian Taxi Industry Association Limited; and Frédéric Prégent, Taxcelco
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Description: This panel will present the perspectives of regulators and industry stakeholders from Canada, Australia and other continents, and how each of the topics discussed in the prior panels are perceived beyond the U.S.A. Are AVs scaling and working in the snow – and do they pose a threat or an advantage for regulators, industry members and the public? Is the insurance affordability crisis better or worse in Canada, Australia and elsewhere around the globe than in the U.S.? Is there still unfair competition resulting from regulatory disparities between taxis/limos and ride-hailing licensing paradigms? What other issues are regulators and industry members facing, including caps on supply, medallion devaluation, and other items not covered during the regulatory sessions of the day?
NEMT
Increase Program Integrity and Minimize Your Exposure to Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
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Speaker: Dan Reid, Grove Transit
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Description: Fraud, waste, and abuse are not abstract concerns in NEMT. State Attorneys General and Medicaid Fraud Control Units are pursuing criminal and civil actions, brokers and state agencies are auditing more aggressively, as well as being audited themselves, and most findings do not begin with someone deciding to steal. They begin with a missing signature, a trip record that doesn't match what actually happened, a driver whose credential quietly lapsed, mileage that won't reconcile, or a billing code applied out of habit rather than documentation. This session covers what regulators and paying sources are examining right now, the documentation failures that most often escalate into recoupment, exclusion, or prosecution, and the internal controls (self-audits, exception reporting, credential tracking, driver attestation) that let you find your own problems before an auditor finds them for you.
Legal
Legal Lessons from the Road: Three Issues Every Transportation Company Should Understand
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Description: Transportation companies face evolving employment, accessibility, and insurance risks. Through real-world cases and practical guidance, this session will explore three key legal issues: AB 5—Five Years Later: What operators have learned about defending independent-contractor models in California and other states using similar standards. Defending Disability-Rights Claims: How strong accessibility policies, employee training, and documentation can help prevent complaints and defend against lawsuits and class actions. Managing CGL Claims: How to reduce coverage disputes when injuries occur outside the vehicle through appropriate insurance, incident documentation, timely reporting, and coordination among carriers, brokers, and attorneys. Attendees will leave with practical steps they can apply to strengthen their operations and reduce legal and financial risk.
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Closing General Session