Advancing Advocacy: Building Coalitions to Advance Shared Micromobility

Shared micromobility has a broad appeal that makes it an ideal issue for coalition building. Climate advocates see it as an emissions-reducing solution. Economic development groups value how it drives foot traffic to local businesses. Public health organizations appreciate the active transportation benefits.

Partnering with groups outside the micromobility space expands your reach and impact and allows you to cater your messaging towards individual policymakers based on the issues most important to them.

Here are just a few examples of potential coalition partners as you look at building broad support for shared micromobility:

• Economic development and small business coalitions appreciate local business support and job creation
• Bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups share infrastructure and safety goals
• Climate and environmental groups care about reducing congestion and lowering emissions
• Transportation advocates support affordable access to transportation
• Public health organizations value active transportation and cleaner air

Not every potential partner will immediately see how shared micromobility advances their mission, and you may need to do some education and relationship-building before coalition work can begin. The NABSA’s State of the Industry Report, along with local data, can serve as a great resource to provide data on ridership, equity, climate impact, economic benefits, and more to make the case to potential coalition partners. 

Once you’ve identified your partners and educated them on the importance of shared micromobility to their goals, you can move forward with collective action. You might consider co-signing letters to your Members of Parliament or Congress supporting transportation funding that includes shared micromobility, releasing joint statements when federal policy announcements affect your shared interests, or co-hosting events like community rides or briefings that showcase shared goals.

For more guidance on federal advocacy, including sample outreach emails, message framing, and meeting prep tips, check out NABSA’s Federal Advocacy Toolkit.