Boulder County and Colorado CarShare Partner to Boost Transportation Options for Community of Affordable Homes in Louisville

One of Colorado CarShare’s new electric vehicles!

Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County Mobility for All, Boulder County Housing and Human Services (BCDHHS), and Colorado CarShare are thrilled to announce the launch of a pilot car share program into Louisville.

Located at Kestrel, a community of affordable homes in Louisville located just northwest of Highway 42 and South Boulder Road, the pilot program will support an inclusive, multi-generational community development to help meet the region’s growing demand for accessible and connected transit serving neighborhoods of affordable homes. The new carshare service will complement existing transit at the Kestrel community in Louisville, which includes 71 permanently-affordable homes for adults 55-and-over and 129 multi-family homes.

“This is a first in Louisville and a great opportunity to make it easier than ever to save money on transportation expenses,” said Angel Bond, Mobility for All Program Manager. “We are really excited to add carsharing to the suite of transportation options that help Kestrel residents meet all of their transportation needs without having to own their own car. Residents have access to RTD FlexRide, 228 & DASH Routes with a free RTD EcoPass; Boulder County offers a new on-demand, Ride Free Lafayette service that can take residents to Lafayette; Via Mobility Services and RTD Access-a-Ride provide paratransit services for older adults and individuals with disabilities; pedestrians and bikes can travel by trail to Waneka and Harpers Lakes; so this provides a natural complement.”

The pilot car share program, which is currently funded through 2021 by Boulder County, is expected to continue into next year, with the hope that funding can be secured to provide a shared electric vehicle (EV) with a charging station that may be available for both the Colorado CarShare EV and local residents. The initiative will include free carshare credits and deeply discounted membership and rates to Kestrel residents. This initiative is complemented by a similar carshare program in downtown Longmont that is also supported by Boulder County.

The Kestrel CarShare launch event in Louisville, Feb. 7th, 2021.

“It has long been a fundamental tenet of Colorado CarShare to serve our community in mixed-income areas, and we are excited to take this step forward in sustainability with Boulder County,” said Colorado CarShare’s CEO and Executive Director, Peter Krahenbuhl. “We expect this initiative to act as a catalyst for additional car share vehicles and hopefully shared EV charging stations in the community,” Krahenbuhl continued.

The Kestrel carshare launch event in Louisville was held on Feb. 7, and included children of Kestrel families, who were able to hand stamp the parking space in bright paint colors.

“Carsharing is such a needed service for neighborhoods all over Boulder County, and especially for communities such as Kestrel, where older adults and busy working families live,” said BCDHHS Property Manager Haley Jory, who is helping organize the launch event. “We are proud to partner with Colorado CarShare and Boulder County’s Mobility for All Program to help bring more transportation options to our residents.”

Click here to sign-up for Colorado CarShare!

*If you or anyone you know lives in a BCHP or other qualified affordable housing program, please contact [email protected], as you may qualify for a greatly discounted carshare service!

About Boulder County Housing and Human Services:

The Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services is a 500-person integrated services delivery organization that is focused on supporting whole families and individuals through a Two-Generation, Social Determinants of Health approach. BCDHHS serves more than 90,000 distinct clients with a wide range of wrap-around services, including food, housing, health coverage, childcare, safety, education and skill building, parenting supports, and much more. Follow Boulder County Housing and Human Services via social media at www.Facebook.com/BCDHHS and visit www.BoulderCountyHHS.org to learn more about BCDHHS’ prevention-based wrap-around community supports and services.