Known by many names, including angkots, jeepneys, matatus, okadas, boda bodas, tuktuks and autorickshaws, informal and shared mobility (ISM) encompasses the motorized and non-motorized two- and three-wheelers, sedans, minivans and buses that move hundreds of millions of people across the Global South every day. These services are the backbone of mobility in many cities, towns and rural areas, connecting people to jobs, education, health care and other essential services. Yet the operators and workers who keep these systems running are often overlooked in transportation planning and investment decisions.

Presented by Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) with support from the Clean Mobility Collective and Kuehne Climate Center, and co-organized by WRI Ross Center in collaboration with global mobility partners, the 1st Global Convening on Informal and Shared Mobility (GLOCON26) will bring together more than 400 researchers, public officials, practitioners, operators, workers and other stakeholders from across sectors to explore how ISM systems can be better recognized, supported and integrated into transportation planning.

Participants will examine how governments, funders and other partners can work alongside ISM operators and workers to expand economic opportunity, improve access to essential services, accelerate decarbonization and advance more equitable mobility. The weeklong program, including the ISM Graduate Research Academy (Oct. 23–24), independently organized side events (Oct. 25 and 29) and the main conference (Oct. 26–28), will create space for participants to exchange research, share practical experience and build partnerships that strengthen more sustainable, inclusive and people-centered transportation systems.