Community-run electric transportation, including bikes and shuttles, will be arriving in Montbello — a response to a lack of functional public transportation for many in the neighborhood

On Monday night, the Montbello Organizing Committee, a community-based group in Northeast Denver that works on food justice, health, housing, and transportation issues,  received funding from City Council for the purchase of an electric van, an electric charging station and an electric bicycle library.

The Committee has contracted with the city to run the transportation program through March 31, 2025. Denver will fund the program up to $828,904.

The decision to run the program passed after the community group addressed concerns raised by District 10 Councilmember Chris Hinds that the new transportation might not be accessible. Organizers assured him that accessibility was front and center for its members — some of whom use wheelchairs.

This is the latest win for the Montbello Organizing Committee, which also received $1,455,000 in federal money this year for the Montbello FreshLo project, a seven-story building with affordable housing, retail and a grocery store.