Project Background for Clean Mobility Options

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Project Goals

CARB’s clean mobility programs fund projects that facilitate community-led transportation planning and increase access to clean transportation choices beyond personal vehicles. These programs ultimately focus on planning and mobility strategies that shift the nature of the state’s transportation systems toward clean, active, and shared modes of transportation – especially in disadvantaged and lower-income communities that have lacked transportation choices.

CARB’s Clean Mobility Options (CMO) program has piloted various funding approaches and shared mobility project types to meet the needs of priority populations across the state. As CMO continues, there will be a focus on transitioning from the pilot phase to the program phase.

  • Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-15, CMO has funded clean and shared transportation services like public transit, electric car share, bikeshare, and electric shuttles to tackle both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled.
  • CMO has supported the state’s move toward a comprehensive ecosystem of more equitable, integrated, clean transportation services offering high-quality, affordable, and accessible solutions that meet priority population needs. 
  • CMO introduces new and innovative project types in communities that have faced historical underinvestment.
  • CARB will support current and future funding recipients by documenting and sharing lessons learned and providing opportunities for funding recipients to do the same such as through the Clean Mobility Equity Alliance network created through the CMO Voucher Pilot Program.

Guiding Legislation and Policy Drivers

The following key legislation guides the priorities and implementation of CMO:

  • SB 1275 (De León, Chapter 530, Statutes of 2014) & Assembly Bill 398 (Eduardo Garcia, Chapter 135, Statutes of 2017): CMO addresses this legislation by prioritizing low- and zero-carbon transportation alternatives for overcoming clean transportation barriers for low-income consumers and disadvantaged communities to access clean transportation and mobility options.
  • Senate Bill (SB) 350 (De León, Chapter 547, Statues of 2015): Directed CARB to conduct a study to better understand the barriers low-income residents must overcome to increase access to zero-emission and near zero-emission transportation and mobility options and develop recommendations to increase access. CMO specifically addresses many of these barriers and follows the recommendations outlined by CARB in the Low-income Barriers Study, Part B: Overcoming Barriers to Clean Transportation Access for Low-income Residents.

History of Project Funding, Allocations, and Key Activities

The CMO concept originated as the “Targeted Car Sharing and Mobility Options in Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) Pilot Project” in the FY 2014-15 Funding Plan. CMO as a dedicated funding category began with the FY 2017-18 Funding Plan. The following is a chronological history of project funding and activities by fiscal year (FY).

  • FY 2014-15:
    • In April 2015, CARB’s competitive solicitation closed for the “Targeted Car Sharing and Mobility Options in Disadvantaged Communities Pilot Project.” Subsequently, $3 million was awarded to two Regional EV Car Sharing in DACs Pilots.
  • FY 2015-16:
    • No CMO projects were funded.
  • FY 2016-17:
    • In April 2017, CARB’s competitive solicitation for “Car Sharing and Mobility Options Pilot Projects” closed. Subsequently, $9.5 million was awarded to the following:
      • 3 Regional EV Car Sharing Pilots,
      • 1 Regional EV Car Sharing Pilot expansion,
      • 1 EV Shuttle Service Project, and the
      • Agricultural Worker Vanpool Project
  • FY 2017-18:
    • In November 2018, CARB’s competitive solicitation for the Statewide Administrator for Clean Mobility Options Projects for Disadvantaged Communities (CMO Voucher Pilot Program) closed, and CALSTART was selected as the Program Administrator.
      • $17 million went to fund the CMO Voucher Pilot Program
    • Another $8 million funded expansions of the following:
      • 2 Regional Car Sharing Pilots and
      • Agricultural Worker Vanpool
  • FY 2018-19:
    • $15 million funded the expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project.
    • No projects were launched; however, CARB worked with the Administrator to develop the CMO program with feedback from public work groups.  
  • FY 2019-20:
    • $5,196,900 funded the expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project.
    • $8 million from the California Energy Commission funded expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project and CMO program development continued with public work groups.
    • Another $3.3 million funded expansions of the following:
      • 3 Regional Car Sharing Pilots and
      • 1 EV Shuttle Service
    • The Community Transportation Needs Assessment application Window 1 was held.
  • FY 2020-21:
    • 24 CTNA Vouchers totaling $1.15 million were awarded through the CMO Voucher Pilot Program in Window 1.
    • The Mobility Project Voucher application Window 1 was held.
    • No additional funding went to the CMO Voucher Pilot Program.
  • FY 2021-22:
    • $10 million funded the expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project.
    • 20 Mobility Project Vouchers totaling ~$20 million were awarded through the CMO Voucher Pilot Program Window 1.
  • FY 2022-23:
    • $19.8 million funded the expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project.
    • Public work groups were held before the Window 2 application period.
    • The Community Transportation Needs Assessment application Window 2 was held.
  • FY 2023-24:
    • $16,281,656 million funded the expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project.
    • $188,000 in funds from FY 2021-22 funded an expansion of the CMO Voucher Pilot Project.
    • The Mobility Project Voucher application window 2 was held.
    • 12 Community Transportation Needs Assessment Vouchers totaling $1.2 million were awarded through the CMO Voucher Pilot Program Window 2.

Funding Allocations

Funding Source

Regional Pilot Projects

CMO Voucher Pilot Program

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2014-15

$3,033,190

 

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2016-17

$9,518,019

 

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2017-18

$8,000,000

$17,000,000.00

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2018-19

$3,381,600

$15,000,000.00

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2019-20

 

$5,196,900.00

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2021-22

 

$10,187,926.00

General Fund

FY 2022-23

 

$19,800,000.00

CEC’s Clean Transportation Program

FY 2018-19

 

$8,000,000.00

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

FY 2023-24

 

$16,281,656.45

Total

 

$91,466,482.45 

Funding Breakdown

The following table has CMO project funding and budget categories. Outreach and Administration can largely be funded by a grantee's resource or match contributions. Implementation may contain a project's costs of operating a car sharing program, ebike purchases and/or transit subsidies. For the Statewide Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program, CARB is only displaying the associated costs of running the voucher program and not individual voucher projects costs.

Project

Implemented State Funds

Resources/Match

Total Project Funds

Outreach

Administration

Implementation

Car Sharing and Mobility Hubs at Affordable Housing Pilot Project

$3,015,000

$755,000

$3,770,000

$768,000

$492,000

$2,510,000

LA City Carsharing Pilot Project

$4,669,343

$26,614,394

$31,283,737

$478,667

$4,970,720

$25,834,350

Lift Line Paratransit Dial-a-Ride Electric Vehicle Transition Program

$515,819

$154,284

$670,103

--

$6,844

$508,975

Valley Air ZEV Mobility Pilot Project

$749,800

$1,160,300

$1,190,100

$147,540

$136,700

$1,894,849

Ecosystem of Shared Mobility in the San Joaquin Valley

$3,119,00

$1,311,084

$4,430,084

$221,105

$354,232

$3,657,718

Our Community CarShare Sacramento Pilot Project

$5,863,847

$1,841,760

$7,705,607

$1,186,100

$866,525

$5,632,982

Agricultural Worker Vanpools Pilot Project

$6,000,000

$1,500,000

$7,500,000

$433,970

--

$7,066,030

Statewide Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program (CMO)

$91,466,482***

$820,000

$92,286,482

$1,878,030

$7,383,721

$83,024,731

***This includes $8,000,000 in funding from the California Energy Commission.

Recent Project and Policy Changes

In FY 2025-26, staff proposed project criteria changes for when CMO receives additional funding. These included increasing the grant amount, which has previously been capped at $1.8 million, modifying the application process from first-come, first-serve to a needs-based approach, and increasing the grant term length beyond the current 15 months for planning and construction and 4 required years of operation to give grantees more time to launch and operate effectively.

For current and future CMO grants, project area eligibility was updated to align with Clean Mobility in Schools and the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project by requiring 51% or more of the project area to be within low-income or disadvantaged communities census tracts to increase access. The previous criteria required 100%, but grantees provided feedback that many of the resources community members need to access, such as grocery stores, are located outside of disadvantaged and low-income census tracts.

Additional Project Information and Reports