What's New in Shared Mobility
5 minutes Date Launched/Enacted: Jul 8, 2025 Date Published: July 11, 2025
The Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) has been tracking trends, developments, and news in the shared mobility industry. As we continue to explore innovations in technology and partnerships, increased interest in equity, growing enthusiasm for public transportation, and the diversification of modes that shared mobility brings to cities, we will use this page as a resource to track and highlight news and developments in the shared mobility space.
For a more in-depth analysis of trends in the shared mobility industry, see A Review of Shared Mobility in 2024.
Here are some of the most relevant recent shared mobility stories:
June 2025
Houston METRO
June’s shared mobility updates highlighted important progress in the Southwest, tackling less conventional accessibility challenges through people-focused infrastructure. Houston Metro piloted new bus shelters designed with perforated panels to reduce extreme heat at stops, addressing shade equity and climate-related health risks. Nearby, San Antonio is introducing two rapid bus lines—Green and Silver—to enhance the city’s lacking public transit at lower costs. Los Angeles launched a major effort to install 3,000 modern bus shelters, improving rider safety and comfort while providing real-time transit info. Utilizing UCLA’s shade-mapping technology, American Forrests released an urban heat disparities map in hopes to help cities like Austin and Phoenix plan tree plantings to improve shade and cooling. These stories reveal a major trend in the Southwest of communities strengthening bus transit and responding to extreme heat by prioritizing environmental comfort and safety alongside traditional transit needs.
May 2025
Streetsblog L.A.
May’s shared mobility news spotlighted bold local and regional actions aimed at making transportation more accessible for all residents, regardless of barriers like disability and cost. In South Central Los Angeles, the grand opening of the long-anticipated $166 million Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor created a 5.5-mile link to parks, schools, and transit stations, delivering safe, community-driven infrastructure where it’s long been needed. Meanwhile, Putnam County, New York, partnered with Via to launch Putnam On-Demand, a $2.50 ride-hailing service featuring wheelchair accessibility and app-based convenience for rural and suburban riders. California’s revived e-bike voucher program, offering up to $2,000 for low-income residents, advanced clean mobility access while supporting local economies. New Haven, Connecticut, prepared to launch 300 electric scooters from Veo, offering free rides for eligible residents in areas like Downtown New Haven. These projects showed how targeted investments in infrastructure, micromobility, and first/last-mile services are aiding underserved communities and combatting barriers in both financial and spatial accessibility.
April 2025
Chicago Construction News
April’s shared mobility updates reflected a clear reaffirmation of climate goals in shared mobility as advocates responded to major funding challenges. Following news that federal support for bike lanes had halted, California, Illinois, and New York joined forces to launch the Clean Rides Network, a multistate coalition pushing forward their own sustainable mobility agendas. In Cleveland, Mayor Justin Bibb announced the Cleveland Moves initiative, the city’s first comprehensive transportation plan in nearly two decades, which commits to 50 miles of protected bike lanes and includes a Vision Zero strategy. Meanwhile, the Phoenix light rail extension prepared for its June opening, adding 5.5 miles of track, improving bike infrastructure, and promising daily ridership growth in underserved neighborhoods. And in Illinois, Pace Suburban Bus began construction on an all-electric bus garage in line with the state’s climate goals. These stories show how cities and states are continuing to break ground on low-emission, multimodal futures, often with a renewed sense of urgency and local leadership in the absence of consistent federal support.
March 2025
CA Statewide Rail Plan
March saw public agencies across the globe take bold steps to modernize shared transportation systems through historic investments, policy shifts, and infrastructure upgrades. In California, Assemblymember Nick Shultz advanced AB 939, a proposed $20 billion bond measure that would fund zero-emission transit, sustainable rail, and clean vehicle projects statewide—pending voter approval. In New York City, e-scooter ridership surged 79% in February alone, prompting Lime to commit $10 million—and another $8 million annually—to improve safety, operations, and parking compliance. Meanwhile, the Orange County Transportation Authority placed the largest U.S. order of hydrogen-powered buses to date— supported by federal and local funding—marking a major step toward a cleaner fleet. And in Houston, the launch of the $9.4 million METRONow initiative introduced hundreds of new buses, investments in homelessness response, and a renewed focus on rider experience. Together, these efforts signaled how agencies are responding to shifting travel patterns, climate imperatives, and equity goals by retooling legacy systems for a more resilient futures.
February 2025
Scott Olson, Getty Images
February’s shared mobility highlights underscored how community-driven policy and infrastructure investments are reshaping mobility access and public spaces. Boston’s MBTA partnered with the city to pilot traffic signal upgrades on Brighton Avenue, improving bus reliability and cutting delays by 21%—a step toward more responsive, efficient transit. Meanwhile, grassroots activism continues to prove its power: the People Protected Bike Lanes movement, launched in 2017, has led to protected bike infrastructure in 58% of its protest locations, according to an NYU study. In Chicago, shared bike and scooter usage climbed 26% in 2024, spurring plans to expand the Divvy system with 400 new stations. In Washington D.C., disability advocates supported a new transit navigation app launched for the visually impaired, offering audio instructions and reliable navigation using smartphone sensors. These highlights revealed how local advocacy and targeted public investment are coming together to create more resilient, inclusive transportation networks.
January 2025
Anadolu, Getty Images
January’s shared mobility developments highlighted a growing emphasis on cost reduction, innovation, and accessibility in urban mobility. New York’s congestion pricing initiative showed tangible benefits early on, with reduced traffic and increased subway ridership, though it continued to face persistent political challenges. Meanwhile, the celebration of Transit Equity Day through free rides across the country underscored the importance of accessible public transit and affordable programs targeted at underserved communities. In Houston, the Metropolitan Transit Authority piloted a microtransit program that used app-based EVs to bridge “first and last mile” gaps, showcasing how technology could enhance connectivity in underserved areas. Simultaneously, California’s E-Bike Incentive Project advanced zero-emission transportation by providing safety training and financial vouchers, prioritizing low-income residents to ensure equitable access to sustainable mobility. Together, these initiatives reflected a broader trend of cities leveraging partnerships and technology to create more inclusive and less cost-burdened transportation options.