Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) programs, to the extent they have been piloted in the United States, have been funded largely through grants. These grants may be from municipal transit organizations, such as the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s funding of Oakland’s UBM pilot [1], state programs in conjunction with municipalities, such as the California Air Resource Board’s funding of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation UBM pilot [2], or a mix of grants and corporate giving, such as Pittsburgh/Move PGH’s collaboration with SPIN [3], which offered unlimited access to the company’s micromobility vehicles for qualified residents. As of this writing, no municipality has launched a dedicated fund for Universal Basic Mobility programs.

The costs of UBM pilots vary widely, depending on both the generosity of the subsidy and the number of participants. This variability has implications for the sustainability of such programs once grant funding expires. Oakland Department of Transportation’s UBM pilot grant is $243,000 for 500 residents [1], whereas the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s UBM pilot is currently estimated at roughly $18,000,000 - a combination of city funded transit subsidies, corporate giving, and state funding of transportation infrastructure and mobility vouchers [2]. Municipalities are weighing permanent UBM funding pending evaluation of several UBM pilots, with the first evaluations coming this year; more research will be needed to evaluate the long-term implications of UBM programs on municipal budgets and transit organization financial sustainability.