New KP Car Share Program Debuts This Summer

We don’t expect that this is going to solve all of the transportation problems on the KP, but this is just one more option.”

In a task force spearheaded by Key Peninsula Partnership for a Healthy Community, and featuring partners including KP Community Services, Red Barn Youth Center, The Mustard Seed Project, and Food 4 All, the KP Go Electric Carshare celebrated its official launch June 26 in the Key Center Corral.

This car-share program, the first on the Key Peninsula, will expand accessibility to clean energy transportation for residents of the Key Peninsula, free of charge through June 2027. Paid for by a Washington State Department of Transportation Zero Emission Access Program grant, the funds from this grant included the ability to purchase a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV, as well as any associated maintenance costs through June 2027, when the grant will need to be renewed.

The grant will give residents of the KP access to an available EV, with public usage for the vehicle set for August 1. In the meantime, the vehicle will be used by partnering organizations such as the Red Barn Youth Center to help carry out its daily duties.

Stefanie Warren, assistant director for the Key Peninsula Partnership for a Healthy Community, is optimistic about how the program will meet the needs of KP residents.

“A survey that we did in 2023 revealed that almost 10% of KP residents don’t have their own car,” she said. “So these people have to ask for rides if they’re going to get around at all, or they can try to get to the new peninsula transit shuttle, but really people need a vehicle to do their business out here. So this is the hope that this is just one more piece of the puzzle.”

The program, which aims to give another resource to make something like grocery shopping in Gig Harbor or visiting a family member less of a puzzle, is rooted in accessibility and therefore has limited restrictions for its usage. If interested, residents will need to apply via a mobile app and must have a valid driver’s license, be 21 or older, and submit a motor vehicle record check. Applicants must have a “reasonably good driving record over the last three years.” While something like a parking ticket isn’t the end of the world, having a recent DUI or reckless driving on your record would be.

Once accepted, applicants are able to utilize the car key, codes, and any other information for the car from the mobile app. While using the car is free, drivers will be responsible for any fees incurred while in possession, such as bridge tolls or citations. It has a range of approximately 320 miles.

“We don’t expect that this is going to solve all of the transportation problems on the KP, but this is just one more option, one more resource for Key Peninsula residents to be able to use,” Warren said.

The one vehicle is currently stored in a secure area on the property of Key Peninsula Community Services and will be accessible to residents when it becomes available on weekends; however, Warren hopes to expand.

“We’d like to stick with electric, but would like to branch out to vans to help with before- and after-school transportation and things like that,” she said.

Warren said that when loaned out, the limitations are generous. Once made available to the public on weekends, residents will have the opportunity to keep the car for up to 24 hours, using as much power as they want.

Although there are some restrictions, Warren said flexibility is an option. “This is all about serving the needs of the community, so we’re going to put parameters in place to begin with, but depending on how people need to use the program, we’re definitely open to adjusting that.”

Looking down the road, in addition to acquiring vans, the program hopes to recruit volunteer drivers to transport people who may not be able to drive themselves and to add additional charging stations beyond the one at Key Peninsula Community Services.

Warren said that expanding the partnership to include places like St. Anthony Hospital is also a possible step, allowing the KP Go program to provide a ride service for patients coming back home on the KP.

Information about the car-share program can be found at https://kphealthycommunity.org/kp-go-electric-carshare/.