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2024 Grants Challenge

First & Last Mile in Sustainable Style

Our project, utilizing electric-powered rickshaws, aims to connect residents and visitors in Los Angeles with green spaces and parks, providing a sustainable and convenient transportation option that enhances urban mobility. This grant will support our mission to promote environmental consciousness, encourage outdoor exploration, and ensure seamless connectivity to these natural spaces, benefiting city commuters, tourists, and individuals with disabilities.

What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?

Green space, park access, and trees

In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?

In Los Angeles, particularly South Los Angeles, significant transportation challenges prevail due to issues such as traffic congestion, limited job access, safety concerns, and environmental problems resulting from urban sprawl and population growth. These challenges have led to difficulties in mobility, increasing disparities, and a heavy reliance on cars for transport. The need for improved public transportation services is crucial to address these issues and promote active transportation options to reduce dependency on automobiles. Efforts to tackle these challenges are essential to enhance accessibility, safety, and sustainability in urban mobility in Los Angeles.

Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.

Our solution when adopted in Los Angeles, particularly South Los Angeles, aims to address significant transportation challenges faced by urban areas. These challenges include issues such as traffic congestion, limited job access, safety concerns, and environmental problems resulting from urban sprawl and population growth. The introduction of DROP is seen as a sustainable and convenient transportation option that can alleviate congestion, provide affordable last-mile transport, and improve job access for underserved communities. Improving public transportation services is crucial to enhance mobility and address disparities, while promoting active transportation to reduce car dependency. Overall, our service in Los Angeles offers a promising solution to these challenges by emphasizing sustainability, affordability, safety, and accessibility in urban mobility.

Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.

Expanding our dynamic rickshaw on-demand platform (DROP) following a successful pilot project in Los Angeles County presents a significant opportunity for the region. By increasing service coverage, the initiative would enhance transit connectivity, alleviate road congestion, and provide residents with more sustainable travel alternatives. Moreover, scaling up the DROP service would reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and piggyback on supporting local efforts to address climate change and pollution. The expansion would create job opportunities and stimulate local economies but also improve transportation access for underserved communities.
LA would be 1st in demonstrating a new innovative sustainable transportation practice via a scaled version & set an inspirational beacon for further investment in the region. Involving a broader spectrum of stakeholders in the planning and execution phases would foster community engagement and lead a more inclusive transportation network.

What evidence do you have that this project, program, or initiative is or will be successful, and how will you define and measure success?

The success of DROP in reducing /or maintaining the status quo of pedestrian crashes, injuries, and fatalities while increasing the accessibility to parks and green spaces will be measured by KPIs that monitor these incidents, the trips completed to green spaces & track safety impact. Community engagement and collaboration with local stakeholders are vital for educating residents on safe walking practices & our evaluation of these efforts includes measuring community participation and safety behaviors post service/education series. Gathering user feedback in underserved areas is crucial for improving DROP's accessibility & outreach. Monitoring the program's impact on reducing transportation-related crimes to & from majority transit hubs and its correlation with improved transportation options is essential. DROP is committed to fostering best practice for diverse neighborhoods, aiming to enhance community well-being and provide sustainable transportation solutions for all residence.

Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?

Direct Impact: 225,982.0

Indirect Impact: 9,721,000.0