Shared mobility in Greater Minnesota
Selected projects
Disadvantaged Communities Carshare Grant
MnDOT has awarded $500,000 to HOURCAR from the Disadvantaged Communities Carshare Fund for their East Side Expansion proposal. The funds will be used to provide operational and marketing support to expand HOURCAR’s Evie Carshare services to eastern Saint Paul, including five two-way carshare hubs along the planned Metro Transit Gold Line route. The entire proposed East Side expansion area, including all the Gold Line stations except Sun Ray, is located in census tracts identified as "Disadvantaged" under the U.S. Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). HOURCAR is creating two new positions with the grant funds in 2024, a Community Engagement Manager and a Marketing Coordinator, whose work will support expanded awareness of our services in disadvantaged communities. The award will also cover insurance, electric fuel, and technology costs for current and future electric vehicles operating in CEJST disadvantaged communities, including the 50 vehicles to be procured for the East Side expansion.
The Minnesota Legislature established a one-time appropriation of $500,000 in the 2023 Transportation Omnibus Bill to support the growth of carsharing in disadvantaged communities through programs, marketing, and community engagement. MnDOT issued a solicitation for proposals under these funds, and HOURCAR's proposal was selected for funding by the grant review committee. Evie Carshare is a public-private partnership between HOURCAR and the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and is the nation’s first all-electric carshare service fueled by 100% renewable energy.
Moving Greater Minnesota Forward Phase 1 second cohort
Applications for the second Phase 1 cohort closed Dec. 8, 2023, and 11 projects were selected for participation in Phase 1 programming from Jan. 17, 2024, to March 20, 2024.
| Organization | Proposed project summary |
|---|---|
| BEC Enterprises | Starting up a rideshare company in Blue Earth, Nicollet, Kandiyohi, and Aitkin Counties focusing on nonemergency medical transportation. |
| Headwaters Regional Development Commission | Creating a vanpool resource in Bemidji utilizing drivers living in the low-income housing development to provide rides for the residents to improved access to medical appointments, employment, basic needs, social interactions and community events. |
| Megan Knowles | Starting a rideshare company by women for women to help add safety for moms, wives, girlfriends, and other vulnerable communities. |
| The Plum Catalyst LLC | Creating an on-demand microtransit for the east side of the Leech Lake Reservation in the Deer River and Ball Club communities. |
| Project Spark | Developing a commuter transportation services for workers without access to a personal vehicle, initially between New Ulm and Mankato and then later between New Ulm and Sleepy Eye, Springfield, and Comfrey. |
| Rides2U, Inc | Implementing a ride app that assists college students, high school students and the communities surrounding these select college communities in getting safe, reliable, high quality guaranteed rides locally and to airports. |
| Ryan Johnston | Building a low cost, easy-to-install transit information sign that relays bus arrival times for smaller urban and rural transit systems. |
| Thrive Bridge Transport | Establishing a transportation service of wheelchair accessible vans and buses between Moorhead and Dilworth, possibly with trips to the Twin Cities. |
| Trunkdrop | Implementing an on-demand delivery platform in Saint Cloud and Duluth that matches customers needing delivery with drivers willing to pick up the delivery, negotiating price, time, and distance between the parties. |
| Nick Winings | Establishing a nonprofit dispatching center that helps small taxi companies find rides for a fee that would be more affordable than hiring an in-house dispatcher and also helps by matching certain runs. |
| Zeitgeist Center for Arts & Community | Building a micromobility hub with access to a fleet of ebikes for families without access to a personal car at Myers-Wilkins Elementary School in Duluth. |
Moving Greater Minnesota Forward Phase 1 first cohort
Applications for the first Phase 1 cohort closed Sept. 5, 2023, and eight projects were selected for participation in Phase 1 programming from Sept. 20, 2023 to Nov. 29, 2023.
| Organization | Proposed project summary |
|---|---|
| East Central Regional Development Corporation | Exploring the creation of a transit transfer station or mobility hub connecting planned Northern Lights Express train from Twin Cities to Duluth to local transit agencies Timber Trails Transit and TriCAP Transit |
| Blue Earth Taxi | Looking at ways to use taxi services to expand intercity bus services and/or connect to existing intercity bus routes in Southern Minnesota |
| Center of Human Environment | Investigating how to replace shared van that is at end of life with new service or vehicle to provide transportation options for their clients, residents of a 28 bed facility in Mahnomen that houses both men and women with chronic alcoholism, developmental disabilities and serious and persistent mental illness |
| City of Warren | Researching viability of golf cart based car sharing model in Warren for residents to run errands, get to medical appointments, and attend social events |
| Cook County | Developing a service model for a planned shuttle service with liftequipped vehicle to fill health related transportation gaps for individuals aged 65 and older in Cook County |
| Leaf Rides | Investigating ways to expand the size and availability of scootershare in Duluth, including winter appropriate vehicles and business models |
| Navota Mobility | Developing concept around a new microtransit app, TransitConnect, to expand transportation choices in Saint Cloud |
| United Way of Bemidji | Working to create a new shuttle program to meet the transportation needs for clients of Village of Hope, Bemidji local family homeless shelter, called Shuttles for Shelters |