Assembly committee presses CPUC on release of TNC trip data and oversight

Chair Tasha Burner opened a California State Assembly Communications Conveyance Committee hearing on Transportation Network Companies by asking the California Public Utilities Commission to outline its regulatory role and the status of TNC data reporting.

The CPUC described a decade of oversight and said it collects detailed, annual trip and safety reports from companies such as Uber and Lyft but that a mixture of confidentiality claims, appeals and procedural steps has delayed publication of most trip-level data the commission has deemed public.

The commission described its authority, how the reporting system has changed and how the data are used. S. Pat Sen, CPUC Deputy Executive Director for Consumer Policy, Transportation and Enforcement, said the CPUC’s authority to regulate TNCs was affirmed by the Legislature in Assembly Bill 2293 and that TNC annual reports have been required since 2014. Tara Curtis, director of the CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division, described programs the CPUC administers using that data, including the Clean Miles Standard and the Access for All program, and said the commission uses reports to guide enforcement and program implementation.

CPUC staff told the committee they have refined reporting templates, launched an online submission portal that validates data, and have a confidentiality process under General Order 66‑D for submitters who seek protection of information. But they said that, despite multiple commission decisions finding most TNC data should be public, only a single year of trip-level reports (2021) is presently posted on the CPUC portal and that dataset is heavily redacted.

Local officials and researchers urged the committee to press for wider release. Drew Cooper, principal transportation modeler for the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, said the lack of accessible trip-level data prevents cities and transit agencies from assessing TNC impacts on congestion and transit ridership. Cooper noted his agency’s published research finding that TNCs contributed substantially to increased congestion and to declines in transit ridership in San Francisco and said more timely, usable data are essential for local planning.

Elliot Martin of UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center told committee members that researchers need de‑identified, trip‑level origin–destination and vehicle‑type data to analyze greenhouse‑gas impacts, vehicle‑miles traveled and first‑/last‑mile interactions with transit. Martin and Cooper both recommended data designs that add modest randomization or geographic coarsening to limit re‑identification risk while preserving analytical value. They also said controlled, cloud‑based access for vetted researchers can address competitive‑sensitivity concerns.

CPUC staff outlined how the Clean Miles Standard is being implemented with targets developed by the Air Resources Board and said the CPUC has launched a drivers’ assistance program to support low‑ and moderate‑income drivers’ transition to zero‑emission vehicles. Staff said CARB set targets to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions per passenger‑mile and to raise the share of vehicle miles traveled on TNC platforms provided by zero‑emission vehicles, with the programs aiming toward 2030 targets. The CPUC also noted a biennial “unanticipated barriers” report called for in statute, with the next report expected in 2026.

Committee members pressed CPUC staff on the schedule for releasing additional tranches of trip data and on whether the CPUC has adequate authority to enforce reporting. Staff said data‑release decisions have proceeded in tranches corresponding to the years reported, that rehearing and appeals by the companies have affected timing, and that the commission favors disclosure unless confidentiality claims prevail under established legal standards.

The hearing included no formal votes. Several members said they would continue legislative and oversight follow‑up to clarify what trip data can be published and how to preserve privacy while enabling research and city planning.

Two provenance excerpts from the hearing are cited below as evidence for the key claims in this article.