United Way Launches Keep ME Moving Pilot

The transportation assistance program helps Maine residents cover small car repairs, bus passes, and Lyft rides.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Car Maintenance

Photograph of an empty rural Maine road through spruce and birch forest, with a parked compact car beside a plain wooden bus shelter under overcast skies. — United Way launched Keep ME Moving, a Maine pilot funded by the John T. Gorman Foundation, to help eligible residents pay for car repairs, bus passes, and Lyft rides. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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United Way has launched Keep ME Moving, a transportation assistance pilot program in Maine funded by the John T. Gorman Foundation. The program helps eligible residents pay for small car repairs, bus passes, and Lyft rides.

Why it matters

Requests through 211 Maine related to transportation have increased 90% since 2020, and a survey by the United Way in Cumberland and York counties found transportation was a common challenge. The program is designed to address immediate transportation needs for Maine residents.

Transportation requests to 211 Maine have risen 90% since 2020, and about four in ten Southern Maine households are reported as struggling. The extraction does not specify the monthly funding amount or the number of participants the pilot will cover.

The players

United Way

United Way is a nonprofit network of local chapters that runs community programs, including the regional organizations administering this fund.

John T. Gorman Foundation

The John T. Gorman Foundation is a Maine philanthropic organization that funds social service initiatives and published a 2025 report on transportation challenges.

The details

Applicants are accepted by referral from United Way non-profit and employer partners and must live in a county served by the three United Ways in Maine. Eligible applicants must also fall within the ALICE income threshold, and the fund is administered by United Way of Southern Maine in partnership with United Way of Aroostook.

2020: Transportation requests through 211 Maine begin a 90% increase.
2025: The John T. Gorman Foundation publishes a report on transportation challenges.
November 9, 2026: United Way launches the Keep ME Moving pilot program.

Roadmap

The Keep ME Moving pilot follows a 2025 John T. Gorman Foundation report concluding that transportation barriers require both immediate support and longer-term policy solutions. The program addresses the immediate side of that finding by helping residents pay for repairs, bus passes, and rideshare trips.

Eligible Maine residents who receive a referral from a United Way partner may get help paying for small car repairs, bus passes, or Lyft rides. Because the monthly funding is limited, United Way officials expect demand to be high.

The takeaway

Maine drivers struggling with small repair bills should ask a United Way partner whether a referral is available. Keeping a car in working order can prevent a missed job or appointment.