Low-income residents in Stockton now have access to affordable car sharing, making it easier to get to job opportunities, medical appointments, school, grocery shopping and other important destinations. The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) received a $1.8 million grant from the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Clean Mobility Options program to launch the Stockton EV Carshare Program in December 2023 in partnership with Miocar, a 100% electric, affordable car sharing service.
Low-income residents have access to 17 electric vehicles that can be rented for either $4 per hour or $35 per day, making it a budget-friendly option for those who cannot afford a personal vehicle or don’t have access to one. In 2024, Miocar users took 4,000 trips and traveled over 335,000 miles.
Image including staff and representatives from SJCOG, Míocar staff, CALSTART, SUMC, CARB, San Joaquin Board of Supervisors, Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin, City of Tracy, etc. at the official launch of the Tracy Homes station in Tracy, California in December 2023.
The Stockton Carshare Program expands on existing Miocar carsharing services offered through the Stockton Mobility Collective, which is funded by CARB’s Sustainable Transportation Equity Project. Responding to community requests for more affordable transportation options, SJCOG used Clean Mobility Options funding to open the first carshare site in San Joaquin County at Tracy Homes, an affordable housing complex for low-income seniors.
Tracy Homes has a poverty rate of 83% and very little access to public transportation. The neighborhood where Tracy Homes is located also has some of the most asthma-related hospital visits and pollution in the state. A community transportation needs assessment at Tracy Homes, conducted by the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin (HACSJ), revealed that affordability seems to be the biggest barrier to residents getting around by car.
Image of Míocar staff, Fernando Gonzalez, conducting an orientation for a member to understand the features of the electric vehicle and the overall program.
At the ceremony celebrating its opening, Diane Nguyen, Executive Director at SJCOG, spoke about the importance of the Clean Mobility Options program funding, saying “this funding helps SJCOG and its partners achieve our goals of enhancing transportation throughout San Joaquin County” and that “access to alternative transportation, to work, to job interviews, to school, to medical appointments, and everything that we need to live a high quality life here in the city of Tracy is possible because of the grant from the California Air Resources Board’s Clean Mobility Options Program.”
The project has shown how important it is to build strong partnerships and relationships with local agencies and organizations and bring in outside advisors and support. SJCOG works closely with Miocar to operate the service. SJCOG has also partnered with the University of California, Davis to collect information about the success of the program and its impact on how residents are choosing to get around. They also work with the City of Stockton, the City of Tracy, and HACSJ to spread the word about the service, conduct community engagement events, and gather feedback and survey data.
Image of the four Míocar vehicles online at the Tracy Homes station.
Electric vehicle carshare projects like this one often require long periods of time for choosing sites, permitting, hiring contractors, and working with electrical utilities to connect the equipment to power. The SJCOG team has worked very hard with its partners to make the process more efficient and help residents get access to affordable transportation options as quickly as possible.
The Clean Mobility Options funding has allowed several car sharing sites that were previously funded through the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project to continue offering services. In 2026, SJCOG will finish installing electrical vehicle supply equipment and make more electric vehicles available at several new sites, including the City of Stockton’s Oak Park Senior Center, Arnold Rue Library, and Fair Oaks Library.