Time to Celebrate! Our Community CarShare is expanding EV Access for Priority Communities

Breathe Highlight

April 3, 2025

Time to Celebrate! Our Community CarShare is expanding EV Access for Priority Communities

In March, Our Community CarShare (OCCS) celebrated the expansion of its carsharing program to the Pannell Community Center in Meadowview! This addition, along with the Belle Coolidge location (which opened in February), brings the total number of locations in our Sacramento pilot program to 11.

Since 2017, Breathe California Sacramento Region (SacBreathe) has played a key role in supporting the OCCS program by leading community outreach and education efforts. This year, the program expanded with the City of Sacramento’s EV Blueprint, in partnership with the Sac Metro Air District, adding the Belle Cooledge Library and the Pannell Community Center locations.

What is Our Community Carshare?

Carsharing is an alternative transportation method that focuses on access to vehicles, rather than vehicle ownership. With carsharing, vehicles live at an accessible location and are available for community members to reserve for short periods of time. This can be a cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a gas-powered vehicle.

OCCS is a low-cost electric vehicle rental program, powered by ZipCar and the Sac Metro Air District, designed to improve air quality and community health in priority communities by reducing vehicle emissions. The program offers electric vehicles and an ADA-accessible plug-in hybrid van, providing community members with affordable transportation for various needs, such as getting around town, going to appointments, grocery shopping, and more. The program’s goals also include removing barriers to sustainable transportation and enhancing access for low-income communities that have historically faced challenges in accessing resources and services.

Why do we need alternative transportation? Air Quality in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Region’s two primary air pollutants, as identified by the Sac Metro Air District, are ground-level ozone and particulate matter. The region was ranked 7^th of the most polluted cities in the U.S. for particle pollution and ozone according to the American Lung Association.

Sacramento also faces high rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease, conditions often linked to poor air quality. Many residents experience symptoms from exposure to pollution such as watery eyes, coughing or wheezing. Even healthy individuals can suffer from respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities due to poor air quality (SMAQMD).

The biggest contributor to air pollution in the Sacramento Region comes from transportation, accounting for 38.2% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 (CARB). To help improve community health by reducing air pollution, SacBreathe, Sac Metro Air District, the City of Sacramento’s EV Blueprint, and ZipCar are working together to bring clean transportation and electric vehicle access to priority communities throughout Sacramento.

Launch Event at the Pannell Community Center:

To celebrate the program expansion, a Launch Event was held at the Pannell Community Center on March 29^th, promoting the OCCS program. The event provided attendees with an opportunity to learn about the program and sign up on-site. In addition to information on carsharing, the event featured a variety of community resources, including enrolling in the SMUD Utility Assistance Program, zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) education, workforce development opportunities, nutrition and food services, school readiness resources, and more. Over 100 community members, including families with children, attended the event. We would like to extend our gratitude to all our partners who helped make this event a success by sharing valuable resources and information with the community. View the list of participating partners below: