The Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) was awarded $7 million from the New York Clean Transportation Prize program for its participation in the Electric Mobility challenge. 

The challenge was a part of the $85 million New York Clean Transportation Prizes program that was organized by the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) in partnership with the New York State Department of Public Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 

The program awarded ten grand prizes Nov. 16 for three separate categories in support of the New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul. 

Four $7 million prizes, including the one awarded to the TCAT, were awarded to projects that included electric mobility options that served the needs of underserved communities. Two other winners included the Long Island Circuit Transit Inc. for its Electric Micro-Shuttle Services and New York City’s Red Hook Recharge Zone led by Revel Transit.

As a part of the TCAT’s project, the TCAT and other community partners developed coordinated services to support electric mobility services, according to the program’s website. 

“This project will consist of a community survey and series of focus groups to garner community input,” the website stated. “Based on survey results, it will bring together existing transportation options — on-demand, car/bike sharing and green — and expand them to increase access and availability, reduce costs to the consumers and improve economic stability and opportunity.”

The City of Ithaca recently implemented a new bike-share program that launched in early November and in Spring 2022 a petition was created to support free TCAT services. 

The prize winners will be encouraged to hire a fellow through the NYSERDA’s Climate Justice Fellowship program, which will be supported and funded through the NYSERDA and the National Renewable Energy Lab. Over the next three years, the NYSERDA and the award winners will be monitoring their projects to measure their impacts in regards to community needs and New York State’s Climate Act goals. The projects will be assessed and the results will be shared online in order to encourage other community-based transportation models.