In May 2018, Gov. Rick Snyder announced the $8 Million Michigan Mobility Challenge grant initiative to address core mobility gaps for seniors, persons with disabilities and veterans across the state. The Challenge, a collaborative effort among several state departments, encouraged public-private partnerships to design pilot projects that use technology to improve mobility for the target populations.

The Challenge kicked off with a daylong workshop that brought together technology providers, advocacy groups, transportation providers, and state agencies. Input from the workshop participants helped shape the request for proposals that was issued in June 2018. Participants also had the opportunity to make business connections to lead to partnerships for the Challenge.

More than 40 proposed pilot projects totaling more than $27 million were submitted, and ultimately 13 projects were awarded grants ranging from $100,000 to $2.1 million. Projects were selected in urban and rural communities in all corners of the state and employed a variety of technology-based solutions to address different mobility challenges faced by the target populations.

The pilot projects are in various stages of completion.