Cooperatives in the transportation sector encompass a broad range of functionality, from worker-owned taxicab cooperatives, car sharing as an alternative for car ownership, or school districts organizing for collective purchasing of school buses. Cooperatives may be organized to meet the demand for services in lower-density rural areas or to meet specialized transport requirements.
Examples of Transportation Cooperatives
Union Cab of Madison Cooperative is a worker-owned cooperative providing taxi and transportation services in the city of Madison, WI. Union Cab Cooperative was organized after several cab companies in Madison went on strike in the late 1970s. Since then it has grown to be Madison’s largest taxi fleet providing 400,000 rides annually.
Founded in 2001 when a group of Nelsonites decided they no longer each needed a vehicle, the Kootenay Carshare Cooperative has grown to 325 individual and business members sharing over 20 vehicles in the Kootenay communities of Nelson, Revelstoke, Kaslo, and Kimberley.
Sussex County Regional Transportation Cooperative
The Cooperative provides pupil transportation services for special education, public, non-public, vocational-technical and charter students. Transportation is also provided for students attending after school activities and extra co-curricular activities. The Cooperative consists of numerous school districts that have combined efforts in order to secure efficient pupil transportation routes.