Mobile Chamber’s MoGo Rideshare Named National Finalist for U.S. Chamber Foundation Citizens Awards

MOBILE, Ala. — The Mobile Chamber is a national finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 2026 Citizens Awards, recognized for MoGo Rideshare, the Mobile Area Chamber Foundation’s effort to break down one of the most basic barriers to work: getting there. MoGo is competing in the Best Economic Opportunity and Empowerment Program category against three of the country’s best-known corporate names — Citigroup, Marriott International and the Nasdaq Foundation.

Winners will be announced during the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Business Solves conference, set for Oct. 27–28 in Washington, D.C.

Citizens Awards finalists, by the numbers

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is recognizing 37 organizations across nine categories through this year’s Citizens Awards. The annual program honors businesses and chambers of commerce that use their resources, expertise and leadership to develop innovative solutions that improve communities and expand opportunity.

• 37 organizations recognized as finalists nationally
• 9 award categories
• 4 finalists in the Best Economic Opportunity and Empowerment Program category: the Mobile Chamber’s MoGo, Citigroup, Marriott International and the Nasdaq Foundation
• 55,000+ total rides completed during the MoGo pilot
• 3,591+ individual riders served
• 96%+ of riders giving the service a five-star rating
• 17 square miles in the original pilot service area

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the national business federation based in Washington. Its Citizens Awards focus on initiatives that leverage an organization’s talent, resources and expertise to improve communities.

Who MoGo is up against

The category pits a regional chamber’s local pilot against national and global organizations. Citigroup is one of the largest banks in the United States, Marriott International is among the world’s biggest hotel companies, and the Nasdaq Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Nasdaq, the stock exchange and financial technology company. Byrne said being recognized alongside companies and foundations of that scale is an honor in itself.

Treating transportation as a workforce problem

The Mobile Area Chamber Foundation launched MoGo Rideshare in 2024 as an on-demand, app-based microtransit pilot. Its purpose was to address a barrier that keeps some residents from jobs and career training: reliable transportation.

Microtransit is a form of public or shared transportation that sits between a fixed-route bus and a private taxi. Riders typically request a trip through a smartphone app, and vehicles pick up and drop off passengers within a defined service zone, often grouping riders traveling in similar directions.

Mobile Chamber President and CEO Bradley Byrne said the chamber approached the issue from an economic angle rather than as a traditional transit question.

“We saw transportation not simply as a transit issue, but as a workforce issue.” — Bradley Byrne, president and CEO of the Mobile Chamber

“This recognition speaks to what chambers can accomplish when we move beyond identifying a challenge and help build the solution,” Byrne said. “MoGo gave us the opportunity to test a new approach to connecting people with jobs and career opportunities, and the results demonstrated just how significant that need was. To see that work recognized nationally alongside some of the country’s leading companies and foundations is an incredible honor.”

Byrne, a former U.S. representative for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, leads the chamber, which represents businesses in the Mobile area. As previously reported, the chamber has named David Rodgers to succeed Byrne in July 2027 after a yearlong transition.

How the MoGo pilot worked

The original pilot covered a 17-square-mile service area. Within that zone, MoGo provided affordable rides and offered free transportation to select major employers and workforce training locations — a design aimed squarely at helping people get to work and to the training that leads to better jobs.

Demand showed up quickly. Over the course of the pilot, MoGo completed more than 55,000 total rides and served more than 3,591 individual riders. Rider satisfaction was also high, with more than 96% of riders giving the service a five-star rating.

Liz Freeman, chairman of the Mobile Area Chamber Foundation, said MoGo reflects the foundation’s mission of convening partners around problems where community needs and economic needs overlap.

“The Chamber Foundation exists to bring partners together and develop solutions where the needs of our community and our economy intersect,” Freeman said. “MoGo is a great example of that mission in action. We identified a barrier to economic opportunity, brought the right partners to the table and created a program that could be tested, measured and expanded. This national recognition belongs to everyone who helped turn an idea into a meaningful resource for our community.”

From chamber pilot to city transit: Second Line Microtransit

MoGo’s influence has extended beyond the pilot’s original scope. In September 2026, MoGo began transitioning into Second Line Microtransit, becoming part of the City of Mobile’s redesigned Second Line Transit network.

That move shifts a program started by a business organization into the city’s public transportation system. As previously reported, fares remained at $1.25 under the transition, and transfers between buses and microtransit are free. Mobile set a Sept. 28 launch for the Second Line Transit network, and the city’s first Second Line trolley is now carrying riders downtown.

For riders who came to depend on MoGo, the practical result is that on-demand service is now folded into the same network as the city’s buses, rather than operating as a separate chamber-run pilot.

A busy stretch for the Mobile Chamber

The Citizens Awards recognition is the latest in a string of honors for the organization. Recent coverage has also noted that the Mobile Chamber became Alabama’s only nationally accredited economic development group, and its communications team won three Southern Public Relations awards.

What happens next

The Mobile Chamber will learn whether MoGo wins its category when the U.S. Chamber Foundation announces the 2026 Citizens Awards winners at its Business Solves conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27–28.

Key dates

• 2024: The Mobile Area Chamber Foundation launches MoGo Rideshare as an on-demand, app-based microtransit pilot.
• September 2026: MoGo begins its transition into Second Line Microtransit within the City of Mobile’s Second Line Transit network.
• Oct. 27–28, 2026: Winners will be announced at the Business Solves conference in Washington, D.C.