St. Paul moves to salvage Evie carshare fleet
St. Paul will invest $300,000 to secure nearly 200 leased vehicles from the Evie carshare fleet and seek a new vendor, Mayor Kaohly Her announced Oct. 29, 2026.[1]
The city said the $300,000 includes $160,000 in newly identified funds and $140,000 already budgeted for 2027 to support a bridge operation.[1] St. Paul will issue a request for information to identify a vendor to operate the service while it negotiates to secure the fleet.[1]
Evie Carshare, operated by Hourcar, ceased operations in the Twin Cities on Oct. 15, 2026, laying off 21 employees.[1] Evie had provided about 670,000 trips to roughly 5,000 metro users, with large shares of its 2024 trips taken by low-income residents and BIPOC members.
City leaders said the move aims to keep carshare access available while a new operator is found, even as St. Paul faces a $26 million budget gap and is proposing a 6.8% property tax levy increase for 2027 that would add about $58 annually for the median-value home.
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📌 Key Facts
- Evie Carshare, operated by Hourcar, ceased operations in the Twin Cities on Oct. 15, 2026, laying off 21 employees.
- On Oct. 29, 2026, Mayor Kaohly Her said St. Paul will invest $300,000 to secure nearly 200 leased vehicles and seek a new vendor via a request for information.
- The city has identified $160,000 in new money plus $140,000 already budgeted for 2027 to support a bridge operation.
- Evie has provided about 670,000 trips to roughly 5,000 metro users, with 44% of 2024 trips by low-income residents and 45% by BIPOC members.
- St. Paul is concurrently facing a $26 million budget deficit and proposing a 6.8% 2027 property tax levy increase, or about $58 more annually for a median-value home.
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