Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced that it has awarded $500,000 in grants under the Mobility and Transportation Innovation (MTI) program.
“Innovation like this is essential to meeting the transportation needs of Vermont’s rural population and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Public Transit Manager Ross MacDonald. “This is another exciting step forward for the diversification of our state’s transportation system.”
The purpose of the MTI program is to incentivize innovative strategies that improve both mobility and access for transit-dependent Vermonters, reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles for work trips, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Agency received 18 proposals and awarded 13 grants. The program is managed by AOT’s Public Transit Section and was created by the Legislature with the passage of the 2020 Transportation Bill.
The grants awarded will provide funding for a variety of projects, including the following:
- Extension of existing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs, such as Bike Share, and purchase of electric bicycles
- Creation of new TDM programs such as microtransit services and car sharing
- Creation of TDM materials and outreach efforts to promote alternative and efficient commuting options and tools, including teleworking resources such as a telework program guide, telework program planning baseline assessment, and telework best practices resources.
2021 MTI Grants Awarded
Grantee Name |
Project Title |
Funding Amount |
Project Description |
|
Capstone |
Rural and Equity Transportation Program |
$45,660 |
The MTI funds will help Capstone retain professional services to conduct an analysis of the demand for the mobility solutions and inform the design of the program. The funds will allow for a more robust analysis of existing travel behaviors, locations where households, employees, and employers are limited by current mobility options, locations where the financial burden of owning and maintaining a vehicle creates a disproportionate impact. |
|
Green Mountain CarShare, Inc d/b/a CarShare Vermont |
Greenlining Shared Electric Mobility |
$100,000 |
The MTI funds will help CarShare Vermont to develop a new network of electric vehicles within our existing carsharing operations which expressly serves residents of public and affordable housing development in the City of Burlington by locating 4-6 vehicles with charging infrastructure on-site, providing free memberships and lower driving rates, and working with out housing and social services providers to make carsharing more accessible and vehicle ownership less necessary. |
|
Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association |
CATMA Telework Program |
$35,000 |
The MTI funds will help CATMA in advancing, enhancing and delivering its |
|
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission |
Greenride Bikeshare E-Bikes and Expansion |
$50,000 |
The MTI funds will help CCRPC to replace the existing bikeshare fleet in Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski with e-bikes, and to serve as match for a previously awarded VTrans Bike/Ped Grant to purchase additional bike racks and station signs to double the number of stations in the system. |
|
LocalMotion |
Providing Bike Parking at High Traffic Destinations to Increase Bicycling Mode Share for Vermonters and Satellite E-bike Lending Libraries |
$50,000 ($10,000 for bike racks and $40,000 for E-bike Lending Libraries) |
The MTI funds will help Local Motion to provide bike racks to schools, businesses or other organizations that would benefit from expanded, quality on-site bicycle parking. |
|
Ludlow |
Microtransit Feasibility Study for the Ludlow/Okemo Area |
$30,000 |
The MTI funds will help Ludlow hiring a consultant to evaluate existing services, conduct outreach to clarify the needs expressed by the community and local businesses, and determine feasible solutions, which might include microtransit or shuttle service. |
|
Middlebury College |
New Technologies for Dial-a-Ride |
$10,000 |
The MTI funds will help Middlebury College to develop ride-finding software interfaces that will allow Dial-a-Ride users (i.e. passengers and dispatchers) to |
|
Old Spokes Home |
Engage & Connect Underserved & Diverse Vermonters To Existing Transit Options |
$59,031 |
The MTI funds will help Old Spokes Home to improve the access of transit-dependent Vermonters to existing alternative transportation opportunities through the development and implementation of outreach and marketing strategies designed to reach diverse communities. |
|
Sustainable Montpelier Coalition |
On-Demand Microtransit Rider Engagement and Marketing |
$48,234.25 |
The MTI funds will help Sustainable Montpelier Coalition’s (SMC) will support behavior change to increase ridership on Public Transit within the service area of the On-Demand Microtransit Montpelier Pilot. |
|
Sustainable Transportation Vermont (STVT) with support from Vermont Natural Resources Council |
Reducing SOV Usage and Boosting Alternatives at a Large Employer |
$25,025 |
The MTI funds will help STVT combine one-time incentives and strategic marketing and outreach with existing TDM policies to get more employees and students commuting to campus sustainably and affordably rather than by single occupancy vehicle (SOV). Furthermore, we seek to find affordable and sustainable transportation solutions for employees currently lacking reliable options for their commutes. |
|
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation |
Future of Rural Transit |
$15,549.75 |
The MTI funds will help VEIC to conduct research, education and outreach on environmental, equity and economic challenges in transportation by combining public, Medicaid, and school transportation into a single electrified public transportation system. That will lead to identification of a pilot location and design of a pilot program to test combining services with electric vehicles in a rural region of the state in 2022. |
|
Vital Communities |
Upper Valley E-Bike Subsidy Program |
$31,500 |
The MTI funds will help Vital Communities pilot a buyers’ program to make e-bikes a realistic option for more Vermonters by providing up to a $1000 subsidy for their purchase and up to a $500 subsidy for their maintenance and setup |
More information about the grants awarded and the projects funded is available at the AOT website.
Source: Barre, Vt. – The Vermont Agency of Transportation 12.7.2020