City CarShare to Expand Carsharing in East Bay Through $1 Million Grant Awarded by MTC

City CarShare, a Bay Area nonprofit, will expand its carsharing network to under-served East Bay communities in collaboration with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC). The program will deploy vehicles in Richmond, El Cerrito and Oakland, and includes electric vehicles, fuel-efficient hybrids, and a wheelchair accessible van. The program is partially funded through a $973,864 grant, awarded Wednesday, December 18 by MTC.

The program, called CarShare4All, will bring the Bay Area’s most affordable and environmentally focused carsharing service to low and moderate income areas. “The ongoing support of the MTC has enabled City CarShare to provide the most diverse and greenest fleet available to under-served communities,” said Rick Hutchinson, CEO, City CarShare. “This award will help us and our partners provide electric vehicles, new solar-charging technology, and our AccessMobile (wheelchair van) program to neighborhoods that deserve a lot more attention than they’ve previously received.”

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the lead applicant for the grant, will serve as fiscal agent for the project. City CarShare will own and operate the network and BACC will provide deployment support.

City CarShare, the nation’s largest nonprofit carsharing organization, serves nearly 16,000 members in the Bay Area. Over 60% of its locations are in designated low/moderate income neighborhoods. Nearly 200 of its cars are within walking distance of major transit lines and over 50% of its carsharing fleet is battery-based (hybrid, plug-in electric hybrid and all battery electric). The CarShare4All program supports a common goal among City CarShare, the CCTA, and BACC, which is to expand green transportation choices to all constituencies.

“Carsharing is a very important part of our strategy to provide transportation options,” said Kevin Romick, Chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, “This project with City CarShare and the Bay Area Climate Collaborative provides critical links to and from public transit, which provides multi-modal travel choices for Contra Costa residents.”

CarShare4All will also allow City CarShare to expand its CommunityShare program, which provides discounted carshare memberships to low and moderate income families, and its AccessMobile.

“We are very pleased to see carsharing expanded in El Cerrito,” said Melanie Mintz Interim Community Development Director, City of El Cerrito, “residents appreciate the existing carshare access at one BART station and having a new Pod near El Cerrito Del Norte station will be a big win.”

Carsharing enables individuals to reduce their dependence on private transportation. When fully deployed CarShare4All is projected to yield as much as 3 million lbs. of CO2 reduction per year.

“Carsharing is a vital strategy for lowering our carbon footprint and reducing transportation costs,” said BACC Executive Director Rafael Reyes, “we look forward to assisting City CarShare to bring expanded services to the region.”