NABSA Convenes Members to Discuss Federal Funding Programs
Last week, NABSA hosted its latest member virtual event, Federal Funding Programs for Shared Micromobility, bringing together experts from Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Pittsburgh, PA, and Hamilton, ON to share how their systems have navigated securing public funding for their shared micromobility systems. The conversation followed up on a blog series from earlier in the year, where NABSA shared details about different federal funding opportunities in both Canada and the US that can be used to fund shared micromobility, including BUILD Grants, CMAQ, Active Transportation Fund, Earmarks, and STBG.
The discussion kicked off with Marah Holland of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council discussing how Bluebikes in Massachusetts has used CMAQ and STBG funds through the Boston MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program, including a $12.5 million FHWA Congestion Relief Grant aimed at expanding the system and adding e-bikes.
Sean Wiedel from the Chicago Department of Transportation traced Divvy’s history from its 2013 launch, when the system was seeded with $21 million in CMAQ and $4 million in TIGER funds (now known as BUILD), to today, where it logs 6.8 million annual trips and ranks as one of Illinois’ largest transit systems.
David White of Bike Share Pittsburgh outlined POGOH‘s track record of CMAQ-funded expansions going back to 2015, stressing the value of strong relationships with Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) relationships, well-crafted letters of support, and building tools to quantify a project’s impact on congestion, air quality, and economic activity.
Peter Topalovic from the City of Hamilton, Ontario rounded out the discussion by describing how Hamilton Bike Share has built a stable operations model through a city-nonprofit structure, university U-pass partnerships, and the future of the Active Transportation Fund.
Following the presentations, event attendees participated in a discussion with the speakers that expanded on the topic of the future of funding opportunities and what to consider when planning and applying.
Members can view the event recording and presentation deck by logging into your Member Center account and visiting the virtual events archive. NABSA members that need to create their Member Center account can do so here.