Grand Rapids celebrates one year of DART EV CarShare Pilot Program

Grand Rapids celebrates one year of DART EV CarShare Pilot Program

Published on November 03, 2025

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The City of Grand Rapids' Mobile GR Department is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its DART EV CarShare program, a pilot initiative launched in October 2024 to provide residents and visitors with convenient, low-cost access to electric vehicles.

As part of the Michigan Carshare network, DART EV CarShare allows users to reserve an electric vehicle for $5 per hour, which includes insurance. The service partners aim to reduce the financial burden of car ownership while expanding access to transportation options. Since launching, the program has attracted about 200 active users, who have collectively used the service for over 23,000 hours and driven more than 143,000 miles.

Getting started with the CarShare program is quick and easy. Users can sign up through the program's app (available at Dartgr.org and through the Android / iOS as "MDO Carshare"), upload photos of their driver's license as well as a payment method, and await membership processing, which typically takes a few days. Once approved, members use the app to reserve a vehicle in advance, access it at the start of their trip, and return it to the same station when finished. To complete the trip, members return the vehicle to the same location and simply plug the vehicle into its charger.

To meet growing demand, the program has expanded from six to nine vehicles, with plans to reach 12 total vehicles by 2027. Vehicles are stationed in convenient locations across City-owned parking facilities, including downtown at Government Center and Weston-Commerce Parking Ramps, as well as neighborhood parking lots in West Fulton, Burton Heights, Madison Square and Eastown.

Ariana Jeske, assistant director of Mobile GR, reflected on the success of the program's first year saying,

"The DART EV CarShare pilot program has been wildly successful. It's shown that there is a real need for affordable, on-demand transportation for our residents without access to a personal vehicle. This program is one way we're making Grand Rapids a more accessible, equitable and environmentally conscious city."

Transportation costs represent one of the largest household expenses, consuming nearly 20% of the average Grand Rapids household income, according to the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Nearly 10,000 households in the city do not have access to a personal vehicle. By offering a low-cost, flexible, and on-demand alternative, DART EV CarShare helps bridge that mobility gap.

For more information and updates on the DART CarShare program, please visit grandrapidsmi.gov/mobilegr or contact 311 Customer Service at 616-456-3000 or 311. For customer support please visit mdocarshare.org/Michigan or call 616- 816- 2030.

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