Designing for Everyone: Accessibility Leads the Conversation at the AV & Public Transport Conference

After a strong showing at the Eighth Annual Conference on Autonomous Vehicles and Public Transport in San Francisco, ACES Mobility Coalition members left with momentum as the industry aligned around practical, people-centered automation.

One of the strongest themes to emerge was the need to design shared autonomous mobility from the ground up with universal accessibility in mind. In a powerful panel featuring speakers with disabilities, the discussion underscored a simple but powerful takeaway: accessibility cannot be retrofitted. It must be embedded in autonomous vehicle design, service planning, communications, and policy from day one.

A key takeaway was the disconnect between rising demand for autonomous mobility and the limited number of solutions in the marketplace. Throughout the conference, Coalition members demonstrated how real-world deployments, policy change, and cross-sector collaboration can bridge that divide and move communities toward sustainable, replicable models.

To support that rising demand, another critical thread focused on the future of the transit workforce, highlighting a widening gap between autonomous transit needs and the availability of a trained workforce. The conversation positioned the shared autonomous mobility industry as a part of the solution, helping to lead the creation of new career pathways and modernizing existing transit jobs.

Beyond operational readiness, a standout all-female panel hosted by Coalition member PAVE, and moderated by Communications Director Katelyn Magney-Miller, explored how public agencies, academia, and industry can work together to build and sustain public trust for long-term acceptance as AV deployments scale.

The 2026 AV and Public Transport Conference reaffirmed what Coalition members already know: shared autonomous mobility is no longer a future-state discussion. It’s a present-day responsibility — and that work continues May 29, 2026 in Boca Raton at the Autonomous Vehicle Conference, now hosted by Coalition member Guident. The one-day forum will focus on real-world global deployment and scaling automated mobility. Attendance is complimentary, and registration is available at https://autonomousvehicleday.com.

Check out more photos from the 2026 AV and Public Transport conference below: