Hello Minneapolis!
In 2020, we quietly began the process of reaching out to a number of cities in North America to explore ways to bring Oonee to their streets. The tenets of our vision were straightforward:
- One citywide system operating in a dense network
- Beautiful, modular hardware that would complement the unique architectural traditions of communities across the country.
- Inclusive & Equitable, with a sustainable business model that doesn’t not rely on expensive user fees.
Not only would such a system help make urban transportation more manageable by making micromobility more viable within the urban context (lack of secure parking is the second leading barrier to adoption) but these systems would also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase economic mobility among minorities and immigrants.
Over the years, this intensive work has included advising advocates, community leaders and public officials on program design, procurement, financing, community outreach and other forms of engagement that would make these systems possible and we expect to have a few exciting expansion announcements in 2024.
Today, we’re happy to announce the first such partnership outside of New York & NJ; The City of Minneapolis.
We’ve been formally selected as the operator of the city’s comprehensive secure parking & charging system. While we can’t reveal too many details just yet, it is our hope that this system will eventually grow to such a point so as to ensure that every resident has access to public parking and charging facilities at both end and beginning of the trip. It is also worth highlighting that by adopting this model, Minneapolis will become the second city in the nation to adopt a municipal plan for these critical services (after Jersey City) and the largest city in North America to implement this vision.
We will have more information to share soon!
New Jersey Transit
Earlier this year, we executed a contract with New Jersey transit for a number of new facilities within their network. New Jersey Transit is one of the largest transportation agencies in the United States with over 160 commuter rail stations throughout the Garden State. We will have more details to share soon!
Jersey City
In addition to the installation of Grove Street station, which is expected to launch this summer, we have begun the work of planning for the next ten stations with Jersey City officials. Once constructed, this will bring us to a total of seventeen stations in the Jersey City municipal parking & charging network with the remaining fourteen stations built out in subsequent phases.
New York City Parking & Charging
We’re pleased to announce that the first of two Delivery worker rest-stops have been approved by the City’s Landmark Preservation Commission. The rest stops, which are to be converted from derelict newsstands, were designed by Oonee co-founder Manual Mansylla and include space for rest, charging and bike repair/maintenance.
We will operate the battery charging facilities in these facilities as part of our Oonee Power project. Oonee Power is a universal battery charging kiosk that can provide battery swapping services in addition to charging personally owned batteries.
While we cannot share any more details at this time, we are pleased to announce that we have been selected to build out additional charging and parking facilities by a major government agency in New York. We will have more details to share on this front soon!
Additional New York City Expansion
We continue to believe that a comprehensive citywide network, similar to the plans implemented by Jersey City and Minneapolis, is the most efficient way to grow the New York City network parking network. We’re encouraged by the fact that New York City has committed to a system with thousands of secure parking spaces across the five boroughs and hope to have an opportunity to formally share our vision with the Department of Transportation in the near future.
We’re raising money for our Series A financing. If you love the work that we’re doing and want to own a portion of a fast growing startup, consider investing in Oonee on Republic!
