ACES Strategic Planning Session Sets Course for the Coalition’s Next Chapter

Ahead of the ITS America Conference & Expo in Detroit, ACES Mobility Coalition members and support staff gathered on Monday, June 8, 2026, at the Michigan DOT’s Southeast Michigan Transportation Operations Center for a strategic planning session focused on the Coalition’s next three years.

The session marked an important step in ACES’ strategic planning process and was informed by member feedback gathered through a survey completed in advance of the meeting. That feedback showed strong support for the Coalition’s current focus, while also identifying opportunities to sharpen priorities, strengthen member engagement and increase ACES’ impact.

Members continue to see ACES as a valuable national voice for advancing shared autonomous mobility. Policy leadership, federal engagement and legislative advocacy were identified as some of the Coalition’s strongest areas of impact, particularly ACES’ work around the SAM Act, DC fly-ins and ongoing engagement with federal policymakers. In the survey, 88% of respondents identified federal policy leadership as an area where ACES can uniquely add value over the next 12 to 24 months, while 76% identified legislative advocacy as one of the most valuable aspects of membership.

The survey also reinforced that the industry is at an important point of transition. Members pointed to funding, procurement, regulatory uncertainty, public trust, workforce issues and business models as key barriers that must be addressed to move shared autonomous mobility beyond individual pilots and toward scalable deployments.

The conversation in Detroit largely validated those findings. Members discussed where ACES should focus its efforts, how the Coalition can deliver greater value, and what success should look like as the organization continues working to strengthen public transportation, expand access and support real-world deployment.

Now, the hard work begins. Executive Director Joshua Schank will work with the facilitator to gather feedback from both the survey and strategic planning session and begin outlining the Coalition’s next strategic plan. Members will have multiple check-in points throughout the process, with the goal of finalizing the plan by the end of 2026.

The June 8 session reinforced the Coalition’s momentum and helped set the stage for the next phase of ACES’ work to advance shared autonomous mobility and help communities across the country move from innovation to real-world deployment.