GoForth CarShare is an electric carsharing service designed to provide greater access to clean, local transportation and increase people’s experience with electric vehicles. 

The program is developed with the aim of achieving two goals: to provide an affordable, on-demand transportation option to affordable housing residents, and to create a free program for rural utility customers to test drive EVs. 

This is especially important in rural and low-income communities, where access to EVs is rarer than in urban areas.

GoForth CarsShare will make it possible for people
to drive EVs without having to own one.

Access to a car can be critical to economic independence. As a result, GoForth all-electric vehicles will be placed at affordable housing sites, local electric utility headquarters, and high-density parking lots. These cars can be used for errands, recreation or business. Interested users can reserve and drive vehicles by downloading the "Miocar Networks" app from the Apple or Google app stores and completing the account creation process.

The first two-hour drive is free, followed by a small hourly fee for each additional ride.

Two vehicles are currently available in the Bend and La Pine areas of Oregon. A third site will open in Philomath, Oregon in the following weeks, with other sites expected to be operational soon.

The first 10 GoForth CarShare vehicles are being placed at sites sponsored by local community-owned utility companies. Cars located at affordable housing and utility locations may be used by staff for work-related purposes, providing a cleaner alternative for fleet travel.

Participating utilities in the initial cohort include: 

• City of Ashland Utilities 

• Central Electric Cooperative (Bend)

• Emerald People's Utility District (Veneta)

• Eugene Water and Electric Board (Eugene)

• Midstate Electric Cooperative (La Pine) 

• Clatskanie PUD (Clatskanie)

• Consumers Power (Philomath) 

Forth is responsible for procuring vehicles, insurance, providing the software platform, vehicle cleaning and service, and user support. Utilities work with the host sites to install charging infrastructure. 

Oregon and Beyond

Building upon GoForth CarShare, Forth applied for funds through the Federal Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office and received a $5 million award to scale this program as the Affordable Mobility Platform (AMP) Program. Over the next 18 months, Forth will be working with over 40 partners to bring 70 new carshare vehicles to affordable housing complexes in at least 7 cities across the country. 

The Affordable Mobility Platform is a national partnership between Forth and Mobility Development, to establish electric vehicle carsharing at affordable housing sites in at least six states over the next two years. This carsharing model is built upon Forth’s experience of piloting similar programs in rural Oregon and the success of the Miocar program that is supported by Mobility Development. GoForth began with a grant from American Public Power Association (APPA) to support Forth’s "Self-Service Ride and Drives" initiative. Additional funding was provided by Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program.

If you are interested in becoming a GoForth member in one of the active service areas, contact customer support at (503) 850-0007 or carshare@forthmobility.org. You can also visit goforthcarshare.com and the guidebook for more information. 

If you are interested in learning more about GoForth or AMP please contact Connor Herman.