City of South Bend wins $1M in Bloomberg Mayors Challenge

The city of South Bend has won $1 million from the Bloomberg Philanthropies U.S. Mayors Challenge to help address transportation issues for part time and shift workers.

Nine cities each won $1 million to implement solutions to homelessness, the opioid crisis, mobility, climate change and economic opportunity.

The other cities that won include:

• Denver, Colorado
• Durham, North Carolina
• Fort Collins, Colorado
• Georgetown, Texas
• Huntington, West Virginia
• Los Angeles, California
• New Rochelle, New York
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

South Bend plans to use the money, "to establish an integrated on-demand transportation program as an employer-funded benefit, resulting in decreased turnover, improved job stability, and increased take-home pay."

“We are thrilled by this partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to address a major challenge in our time: overcoming the transportation barrier for low-income workers,” Mayor Pete Buttigieg said. “We believe our city's innovation on this issue can create major new opportunities for inclusive economic growth, not just in South Bend but for many cities like ours--and now we will have the resources to develop this approach at scale.”