Mobility Camps are designed to reduce drive-alone commuting and parking demand among participants. If you think it’s compatible with the culture of your organization, we can work together to organize a Mobility Camp to an off-site location as a community-builder.
In the past, groups have used transit for:
What’s Involved?
Groups of 10 – 40 people are the perfect fit for hosting a Mobility Camp! If you have an audience of that size, Movability can work with you to coordinate a Mobility Camp and will:
- Schedule a meeting to discuss potential trips, dates and times that will work for you
- Create an online, event registration form
- Offer free Day Passes to all participants
- Distribute a Return Trip Itinerary, so participants are prepared to stay late or leave early, if needed
- Attend and lead the outing, so your group has an experienced transit rider on the trip
What are the goals and objectives of the program?
The goal of Mobility Camps is to break the cycle of auto-dependence by achieving a 5% increase in transit ridership and a 5% reduction in single occupancy vehicle use among program participants. The program was created to apply the concepts of project-based learning to encourage active mode shifts. Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which participants gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. For example, to teach a student about robotics, the best practice is to design and build a working robot rather than to host a PowerPoint presentation about robotics. Rather than hosting “lunch & learn” sessions about transit, Movability asks organizations to “go to lunch and learn on the ride” as a means of helping people try transit and become familiar with regional transportation services, the benefits of transit and transit-priority lanes, trip planning, finding transit stops, using tickets, stopping a bus, and navigating the system via various wayfinding apps. Further, it provides them with a direct and positive association with using transit.
How can this program be transferred to other TDM programs in other locations?
Mobility Camps were conceived as an extension of the outreach work done at major employer campuses. Movability is frequently asked to host tables or make presentations at corporate and college campuses or at neighborhood association meetings to increase participation in transportation demand management (TDM) programs. Instead of focusing exclusively on these activities, agencies could add Mobility Camps as an active engagement opportunity. Some organizations immediately respond. Others respond after having seen a presentation that includes one or two examples of Mobility Camps hosted for other organizations. These activities can easily be absorbed – with no additional costs – within existing public relations, outreach or marketing departments by avoiding direct mail, new staff, program evaluation, admission fees and/or food expenses. At Movability, the program has been expanded to other markets, including higher education, senior centers, non-profit organizations, and neighborhood associations. The most time- and cost-effective audiences have been offices, higher education, and senior groups.
Movability is thrilled to announce we have been selected to receive a 2024 AARP Community Challenge grant. We are one of only 343 grantees selected out of 3,300+ applications from across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With this quick-action grant we will host additional Mobility Camps for senior citizens that will help them remain independent and connected to the community, even if their ability to drive becomes limited. The AARP Community Challenge is a grant program to make tangible improvements in communities that jump-start long-term change. It is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages. To learn more, visit aarp.org/Livable.
Interested in your own Mobility Camp? Use the form below to contact Movability, and a staff member will be in touch to coordinate.