2024 Movability Annual Report
Foreword from Board Chair Jenell Moffett
As we reflect on 2024, I am proud of the incredible strides Movability has made in building the region around people, not cars. This year brought growth, collaboration, and impact as we worked to make commuting easier and more accessible for our region’s residents and workforce.
In 2024, we deepened our engagement efforts, particularly in the Mueller neighborhood, where our team block-walked, distributed surveys, and hosted a focus group. These efforts culminated in a whitepaper that provides valuable insights into local transportation needs and opportunities.
We also launched a partnership with Carbon Cred to enhance regional trip tracking as part of the Get There Central Texas program. This initiative encourages and rewards commuters for choosing active and shared transportation modes, reinforcing our commitment to keeping Central Texas moving.
Movability continued to expand key programs like GoGrant and MovePass , making it easier for employers and commuters to access sustainable transportation solutions. Additionally, we were honored to win AARP and NAPTA grants to support Mobility Camps . Thanks to these grants, Mobility Camp participation grew by more than 700%, demonstrating a strong and growing interest in transportation innovation. We also launched a new program, SchoolPool , which began its pilot in the spring of 2024.
Another major milestone was our partnership on the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), led by the City of Austin. This collaboration secured $47 million in funding to help mitigate traffic congestion during the upcoming construction, ensuring a more resilient transportation network for our region.
We also welcomed Christy Rodriguez to Movability’s staff and Matt Geske, Derek Heino, Sarah Garza, Aneka Patel, and Rob Spillar to Movability’s board.
Finally, we were thrilled to see our annual Summit grow to include two panels, fostering even more dialogue and idea-sharing among transportation leaders.
Movability’s success is made possible by our dedicated staff, board, members, and partners. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to creating a more connected, sustainable Central Texas.
Sincerely,
Jenell Moffett
By the Numbers: A Snapshot of Central Texas Mobility in 2024
Sources: City of Austin, CapMetro, data.census.gov, TomTom.com, Public Ride Report, Movability
2024 mode split
About our Members
Movability Members
In 2024 Movability worked with 115 members, representing a total of 42,715 employees in Central Texas.
Movability members include individuals from corporations with thousands of employees to small businesses and non-profits with fewer than 10 employees. Member surveys indicate that the top reasons members join are networking with other companies; getting help with implementing employee mobility programs; member-only discounts; and promoting environmental sustainability.
In late 2024 Movability introduced new member levels and benefits, including robust benefits for individual members.
2024 Members
Movability Founders
Business Members (* denotes new member in 2024) Actionfigure AECOM* Asterisk Austin Chamber of Commerce Austin Community College Austin Creative Reuse Austin Lighthouse* Austin LGBT Chamber Austin Pets Alive* Austin Technology Council Austin Transit Partnership Austin Young Chamber Austin Youth Riverwatch* Ballet Austin Bird Bitlocks Block by Block BOE BusUp CAPCOG Capital City Village* Carbon Cred* CARTS Con Mi Madre* CTRMA Civil Corp CivTech Circles X Commute with Enterprise Cushman & Wakefield Danielle Skidmore Consulting Dress for Success Austin* DKS ECab Encotech* Farm & City* Fetii First Class Transportation* Fleet Flexigo General Marshall Middle School* Ghisallo Cycling Initiative Google Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Hahn Public Halff Hallcon Highland Neighborhood Association* HNTB Holdout Brewery* Huitt-Zollars ICC* Institute for Community Micromobility Jackson Walker K Friese + Associates Kimley-Horn* Leander Chamber of Commerce Liftango Lirios Pediatrics* Love to Ride Maxwell Locke and Ritter Metropia* MOD Bikes The Mosaic Workshop New Pedal* Pierre Nguyen Campaign* Odom Elementary School* Opportunity Austin* Origin Hotel* Out Youth The Cook's Nook* The Paramount Theater Quantum Mobility Red Line Parkway Initiative Rekab Technologies Ride Amigos Rifeline City of Round Rock Royal Blue* Sabot Development Samsung Austin Semiconductor San Marcos Chamber of Commerce Sensis Silicon Labs Southwest Strategies Group STV Swoop Texas Gas Service TXDOT Thrival Company TEL (Tokyo Electron Limited) Trakk TransWest University of Texas at Austin Uber Transit Velofix Via Viva Bikes* Voltaage* Waymo* WeDriveU Wheatsville Food Co-op* Whole Foods Market Wild About Music* Wright Bros.* Yellow Bike Project*
Individual Members Sarah Garza Alex Houston Tanya Payne Matt Curtis Rey Madolora Mia Zmud
Central Texas business member map: explore where we provide services to our members in the region
2024 Central Texas-based Movability members
Events
2024 was a year of growth for Movability events, from tabling and speaking engagements to networking and happy hours.
Flagship Events
The Movability Quarterly networking series continued in 2024. This fast-pitch Pecha-Kucha-style event welcomes regional thought leaders for networking and conversations. Participants have 20 slides x 20 seconds to present best practices, new research, product offerings, program updates, funding opportunities or emerging solutions in the mobility space.
The Movability Breakfast takes place annually in February. The 2024 event publicly recognized and celebrated Best Workplaces for Commuters employers. The 2024 event also marked Movability’s 10th consecutive year of hosting the Movability Breakfast. The event took place at the Austin Central Library on Feb. 7 and drew approximately 200 attendees.
The Movability Summit is a signature annual event that offers networking and panel discussions about mobility and transportation challenges. In 2024 the Summit included two panels: "The Rise of Micro-Transit in Central Texas" and "Tolling Authorities in Texas and Their Work Beyond Traditional Toll Roads." The event took place on Sept. 19 with approximately 180 attendees.
Virtual Events, Speaking Engagements, Networking, and Webinars
Webinars
- April 4: First Take: Transit Supportive Code Amendments
- May 9: Learning Communities at St. Edwards University
- May 21: CAMPO RTCC 5310 Funding Webinar
- Aug 14: SchoolPool Overview, Clean Air Coalition
- Aug 15: One Voice Central Texas GoGrant presentation
- Aug 29: Movability LIVE! With CapMetro
- Dec 17: ACT webinar: New Year’s Resolutions for People-First Organizations
Speaking engagements
- Jan 24: ATXelerator Transportation Panel
- March 20: WTS TDM Panel
- March 20: South Austin AARP Chapter 2246 presentation
- March 28: Good Systems Symposium
- April 29: Austin Chamber Infrastructure Committee
- June 26: Intersections in Transit – The Future of ATX Mobility Panel
- July 11: D10 “Housing and Mobility” Candidate Forum
- July 25: D7 “Housing and Mobility” Candidate Forum
- July 30: Clean Air Coalition Advisory Council
- Aug 6: ACT Conference Panel: Promoting Sustainable Commuting
- Aug 7: International Conference Panel: Incentivizing Behavior Change
- Aug 21: Future of Mobility in Pflugerville
- Aug 22: ULI TOD Local Member Council presentation
- Aug 28: Black Austin Chamber presentation
- Aug 29: Central TX Transportation Advisory Group presentation
- Sept 4: LGBT Chamber Luncheon presentation
- Sept 26: Transportation Options to Better Serve our Central TX Workforce
- Oct 30: Volunteer Programs and Workforce Transportation Panel
- Nov 6: TXST Urban Planning Club presentation
- Nov 6: CRP presentation
- Dec 17: Downtown Austin Alliance Mobility Committee presentation
Programmatic events
- Feb 21: lunch & learn at Ballet Austin
- April 16: tabling at UT Austin
- April 17: TxDOT Community Day
- April 21: tabling at Ballet Austin
- April 24: tabling at ACC Highland
- May 15: focus group at Ballet Austin
- May 16: tabling at Future of Downtown
- May 17: Tabling at Bike to Work Day
- July 15: SchoolPool tabling at NYOS
- Aug 1: Mueller Business Focus Group
- Aug 16: SchoolPool tabling at Travis Heights Elementary School
- Aug 28: SchoolPool tabling at General Marshall Middle School
- Aug 29: SchoolPool tabling at Travis Heights Elementary School
- Aug 30: lunch and learn at Leander Activity Center
- Nov 4: DECA Chambers event tabling
- Nov 20: UT Austin tabling
- Dec 3: tabling at Amazon offices, Domain
- Dec 13 & 19: RFID tabling at Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center
Networking events
- June 27: Movability Summer Mixer
- Oct 24: GoGrant Celebration
TDM Agreement
The five-year, $2 million transportation demand management (TDM) contract between Movability and the City of Austin includes programming like Mobility Camps, GoGrant, and Best Workplaces for Commuters. All saw an uptick in the number of participants in 2024. A shift to a new trip-logging tool - Carbon Cred - for Get There Central Texas also brought increased engagement from new audiences.
In 2024, Movability continued to offer Mobility Camps to our members and to the general public, but also did targeted outreach to college students and senior citizens.
Movability’s contract with the City of Austin has grown available funding for the GoGrant program, and the number of applicants and scope of project types has also increased over the past year. In 2024, Movability and the City updated the GoGrant application to require repeat applicants to wait a year between applications in order to increase the reach and impact of GoGrant funding.
Movability also collaborated with the City and other organizations on initiatives:
- Movability worked closely with the City’s TPW Department and CapMetro, as well as other partners, on the successful grant application to the Environmental Protection Agency for funding related to Climate Pollution Reduction. The City and its partners, including Movability, won $48 million in grant funding from the EPA. Work related to that grant's scope is expected to start in Q4 of 2025, and will focus on mitigating traffic congestion as Central Texas infrastructure construction projects break ground.
- Movability, Ghisallo, and City of Austin TPW staff coordinated and collaborated for Bike to Work Day, which took place on May 17. Bike to Work Day events at City Hall and at fueling stations across the city saw a high level of engagement with more than 40 fueling stations. Movability recorded 56 unique engagements at our Mueller fueling station.
- Movability and City of Austin TPW staff collaborated on a social media campaign to promote the Mobility Games in September.
Movability Programs
Movability saw record growth in program participation in 2024 and continued to evolve programs to meet the needs of Central Texas employers and employees.
"I do not own a car so I would either have to pay out of pocket [to ride transit] or find a job closer to me. Having my commute to and from work covered has been a major perk."
Get There Central Texas
Movability manages Get There Central Texas, a subnetwork of myCommuteSolutions (MCS), which encourages Central Texans to manually log active and shared trips for cash, gift cards, and prize incentives.
In 2024, Movability introduced the Carbon Cred app as the primary trip-logging tool for Get There Central Texas, which offered users the opportunity to automatically track commutes. With the support of Carbon Cred, administrators can automatically distribute cash carbon credits for shared and active work commutes and manually distribute additional incentives for all other shared and active trips.
Movability soft launched with Carbon Cred among active MCS trip loggers in July, and invited them to share the app with their network. Movability began a full launch of Carbon Cred in September by inviting the Get There mailing list (11,000+ subscribers) to download the app.
As Movability, the City of Austin, and other partners who received grant funding through the Environmental Protection Agency for pollution reduction move toward a regional commuter wallet, a solution like Carbon Cred that automatically logs trips could be a useful tool for gathering data related to transportation behavior change.
2024 Get There metrics:
- 642 active participants in MCS
- 398 active participants in Carbon Cred (from July - December)
- 6,323 trips logged between both platforms
- $36,069 saved among users who chose active and shared modes *According to AAA, the average cost of owning and operating a new vehicle continued to increase in 2024, with an annual expense of $12,297, or a monthly cost of $1,024. Source: newsroom.aaa.com
GoGrant
Movability started GoGrant in 2020 as a response to the pandemic’s impact on transportation needs and choices. Movability’s contract with the City of Austin has grown available funding, and the number of applicants and scope of project types has also increased over the past two years. In 2024, Movability and the City updated the GoGrant application to require repeat applicants to wait a year between applications in order to increase the reach and impact of GoGrant funding.
In 2024, with the support of GoGrant funding: Con Mi Madre is funding public transportation for participants in the organization’s dual generational college readiness program for mothers and their daughters. The organization is also helping parents sign up for reduced-price public transportation passes and provide additional information and resources in Spanish.
While larger employers can request GoGrant funding for TDM consulting and planning, the majority of GoGrant funding is reserved for nonprofits and for employers that meet the City of Austin’s definition of a small business.
More than half of 2024 applicants indicated that they serve priority populations. Additionally, almost half (48%) of the organizations that applied for GoGrant funding in 2024 identified themselves as women-owned, LGBT+-owned or BIPOC-owned.
In 2024, with the support of GoGrant funding: Austin Youth River Watch is planning to launch a pilot bicycle and public transportation program, River Watch Bike Week, that will provide one week of programming for a cohort of students in the summer program. During that week, AYRW will introduce students to cycling; introduce students to bike paths, primarily in East Austin neighborhoods; and show and guide students ways they can integrate using CapMetro along with bicycles to get around Austin. Support from GoGrant funding is going towards the purchase of a small fleet of bicycles for this pilot and future Bike Week programs, along with helmets for students to keep.
GoGrant, which provides funding to Austin-based businesses and organizations for TDM projects and consulting, again saw a record number of applicants in 2024.
Movability received more than $287,000 in grant requests and was able to give $70,000 in grants.
In 2024, with the support of GoGrant funding: Wright Bros. Brew & Brew is installing bike racks for employees and guests to be able to safely secure their bikes while dining and/or working at the establishment with already limited parking. In addition to providing secure parking for existing riders, the Brew & Brew hopes to welcome a greater number of cyclists, and even encourage other existing customers to consider taking two wheels into town, instead of driving alone, in the hopes of decreasing some of downtown Austin's traffic congestion.
In spring 2024, Movability launched SchoolPool, a pilot grant-based carpool matching program targeting Central Texas schools for the 2024-2025 school year. SchoolPool leverages a secure web and mobile app platform from service provider GoTogether to match parents to potential carpool, walk pool or bike pool partners by providing secure, easy-to-use tools to help them join existing school pools or start new ones. SchoolPool provides participating school communities with a unique set of tools to help them:
- Create and manage school pools that help save time and money for parents
- Reduce pick-up and drop-off lines and wait times
- Reduce wear and tear on vehicles
- Decrease traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions
- Foster community through better parent connections.
To incentivize participation in the pilot program, Movability offers schools $500 as an initial award and up to $100 on a bi-monthly basis thereafter if they maintain or grow their parental participation on the platform. Our participation goals for the program are targeting around 15 percent of parents within any given school community.
Seven schools participated in the 2024 pilot: Garza Independence High School (AISD); General Marshall Middle School (AISD); Kealing Middle School (AISD); Not Your Ordinary School [NYOS] (charter); Ridgetop Elementary (AISD); Sunfield Elementary (Hays CISD); and Travis Heights Elementary (AISD).
Planning and Assistance
In 2024 Movability worked with nine organizations to provide TDM planning and assistance:
- Amazon
- Ballet Austin
- Bechtel
- Encotech
- City of Austin Transportation & Public Works Dept.
- DWG
- HNTB
- STV
- Whole Foods Market
- Surveys developed: 2 surveys, with 92 unique total responses
- Lunch & learns for employees: 6 events, with 153 total attendees
Planning Snapshot: Encotech
Movability began meeting with Encotech, an engineering consulting company located in northwest Austin, in early 2024. Over the course of the year, Movability staff completed a heat map analysis and an updated TDM plan with Encotech, and launched TDM activities that included a staff lunch-and-learn, vanpool demo, and train ride to downtown Austin.
MovePass
MovePass brings extra benefits to businesses using CapMetro for Business. Through MovePass, Movability:
- Oversees the distribution of transit passes for employers
- Tracks and reports on usage
- Supports outreach and marketing efforts to increase participation
- Alerts administrators when it’s time to make a new bulk purchase
- Provides additional discounts to eligible organizations, thanks to financial support from Google and Bank of America
In 2024 six small businesses took part in MovePass: Wild About Music, Austin Rocks, Yummi Joy, Toy Joy, Wheatsville Food Co-op, and Royal Blue Grocery. In 2024 Movability distributed 197 passes, serving 62 employees, a 44% increase from 2023.
Best Workplaces for Commuters
Through a partnership with the Center for Urban Transportation Research and with funding from the City of Austin, Movability provides professional support to help employers gain national recognition for meeting the National Standard for Excellence in commuter benefits. That support includes:
- Preparing the Best Workplaces for Commuter (BWC) application on behalf of organizations
- Covering the cost of the BWC application fee to remove barriers to participation
- Recognizing organizations achieving this designation at the annual Central Texas Commuter Awards
Top TDM commute benefits BWC organizations implemented in 2024:
Transit pass and vanpool subsidies
Guaranteed Ride Home Programs
Secure Bicycle Parking
Telework
Flex time
On-site showers and/or lockers
Carpool incentives
Mobility Camps
Mobility Camps are outings via shared or active transportation designed to reduce drive-alone commuting and parking demand among participants. Mobility Camp participants gain direct, hands-on experience in getting to and from a destination without needing to drive by using a mix of other modes, such as biking, taking transit, using a scooter, and walking.
In 2024, Movability received grants from American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) totaling $13,377 and from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) totaling $9,830 to support Mobility Camps. Thanks to this funding and dedicated outreach efforts, Movability grew participation in the Mobility Camp program by 739% over the previous year.
In 2024 Movability began collecting behavior change information from Mobility Camp participants through surveys that are required as part of registration for each Mobility Camp event.
Survey information includes:
- Identify all of the transportation modes you’ve used in the past 3 days
- How confident do you feel using Austin’s public transit system?
- In what year did you move to Austin, or if born in the Austin area, what is your birth year?
- Did an academic or workplace organization recommend you participate in this event?
Preliminary data from Huston-Tillotson University indicated a 23% increase in transit use among Mobility Camp participants
Mobility Camp statistics from 2024
Research and Communications
Commuter Survey
Movability’s work with the City of Austin includes the collection and analysis of TDM data regarding travel behaviors, community needs, and potential impacts of implemented TDM strategies.
Movability hired ETC Institute in June 2023 to develop the methodology and conduct the first survey, with a goal of 900 responses spread between Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties.
The survey data shows areas of opportunity for greater regional mode split. While it’s not a surprise that the density of transit services and bicycle infrastructure in Travis County have led to higher reported use of those modes in Travis County, carpooling use is also lower in Williamson County than in Hays County, which has even less transit service. At the same time, vanpooling is the least used mode across all three counties surveyed. Given the transportation construction disruptions that will impact residents in the survey area, messaging, programming, and incentives for shared mobility may be timely.
With questions updated to better represent mode split, Movability and ETC began the 2024 Commuter Survey distribution in October 2024, with final results expected in the spring of 2025.
Carbon Cred Focus Group
In 2024, Movability introduced the Carbon Cred app as the primary trip-logging tool for Get There Central Texas, which offered users the opportunity to automatically track commutes.
To understand how Carbon Cred would work for those already logging trips as part of Get There Central Texas, Movability invited a group of approximately 350 active program participants to download Carbon Cred, try it out, and share their feedback about their experiences and initial impressions. Among those invited, 56 downloaded the app, 12 registered for a virtual focus group hosted on Zoom, and eight (8) individuals ultimately participated in the focus group. Participants used Mentimeter to share answers for multiple choice, open-ended, ranked, and word cloud questions. Some questions also included live discussion.
Mueller White Paper
As part of Movability’s contractual work with the City of Austin, work began in 2024 to better understand how businesses in Mueller, a dense and well populated community that has been experiencing explosive growth, are being impacted by parking and traffic issues.
Movability staff block-walked through Mueller’s business districts in April 2024 to gather email addresses, raise awareness about the study, and to gather direct feedback about priority mobility concerns. Movability then sent a survey to more than 90 business contacts and hosted an in-person focus group at the Mueller-based Origin Hotel on August 1, 2024, to better understand parking and traffic issues impacting those businesses. Movability invited Catellus representatives to participate in the focus group and share the survey, and notified the developer of the outreach and research being conducted.
Newsletters and social media
Movability continued to grow audiences on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn through storytelling, live-streamed events, and a strategic focus on boosted campaigns. A shift in management and algorithms on X, formerly known as Twitter, resulted in a drop in followers on that platform in the last quarter of 2024.
Movability also streamlined its newsletters, merging "Let's Go News" and "Get There Central Texas News" into one monthly newsletter. With that shift, we were better able to differentiate content for the distinct audiences that receive each newsletter.
Strangers on a Bus
About Us
In 2024 Movability staff and board updated Movability's mission to better reflect our work in the community.
Movability's Vision: To encourage affordable mobility solutions that reduce congestion, improve safety, and protect air quality to sustain the economic vitality of our region.
Movability's Mission: Movability is Central Texas’ transportation management association (TMA), working with individuals and organizations to build the region around people, not cars.
Movability also began the process of transitioning from a 501c6 nonprofit organization to a 501c3 nonprofit. This change in status will allow the organization to go after more grant funding, and will allow community members to receive a tax break on donations to Movability.
Financial Reports
In 2024 Movability implemented a new sponsorship model, saw an increase in programming, and won several grants. A move to new office space within the Austin Chamber of Commerce's offices also saved money on facility costs.
In 2024 Movability also changed to a new billing process with the City of Austin for work done under the 5-year TDM contract. Work on a new 5-year contract that will take effect in 2026 was underway at the end of 2024.
