Change up Your Commute with Shareable Scooters, Bikes, and e-Bikes
How to take advantage of an alternative commuting option in Midtown, shared e-scooters and e-bikes!
Explore Alternative Commute Options
Looking to change up your commute and ditch the car? Atlanta has multiple options available to make getting around without a car a reality – including shared e-scooters and e-bikes! Currently, the City of Atlanta permits two shared electric device operators - Lime and Bird, to provide dockless devices throughout the City of Atlanta. You have likely seen these parked along the sidewalks in Midtown or ridden extensively on the Eastside BeltLine. Lime provides shared e-scooters, e-bikes, and coming soon – sit-down electric scooters. Bird provides shared e-scooters. Both operators offer an easy-to-use app for renting shared devices, and you can end your trip at any destination within the City of Atlanta boundary. Each company has its own app that can be used to locate, scan, unlock, and pay for the ride. Bird and Lime both offer programs for low-income users to have access to discounted rides.
The Rules of the Road
Riders should know that there are still rules on how, when, and where they should ride and park. The shared-use mobility devices like e-scooters and e-bikes cannot be ridden from 12am-4am, and there are restricted speeds on the multi-use BeltLine path. Riders should ride on the street or in a bike lane—never the sidewalk. Sometimes that might mean finding a route that includes bike (or LIT—light individual transportation) lanes or less-crowded streets. If you’re looking for the best route somewhere, request a customized route plan from Midtown Transportation.
Mind Your Parking Manners
While the shared devices from Lime and Bird are dockless, users should be mindful of following proper parking etiquette. Operators and users may not park the devices on sidewalks, in crosswalks, in bike lanes, in bus stops, blocking ADA facilities, in front of access gates to city parks, or inside city parks. If you come across on improperly parked dockless device, please report it to Atlanta 311, and it will be corrected or removed. In order to improve parking compliance, ATLDOT is planning to pilot more parking areas for shared micromobility devices in areas with heavy usage and a lot of parking activity.
Atlanta E-Bike Rebate Program
Interested in your own personal e-bike? The Atlanta Regional Commission in partnership with City of Atlanta and Propel ATL are launching an e-bike rebate program this Spring. Fueled by a $1,000,000 investment from the City of Atlanta, this initiative aims to break down barriers to e-bike ownership, reduce transportation costs, and replace solo car trips to work, the grocery store, and local parks and recreation centers. City of Atlanta residents can apply for a limited number of rebates. The program is expected to launch in Spring 2024. Income qualified residents are eligible to receive a $1,500 rebate for a standard e-bike and $2,000 for a cargo e-bike. Rebates for other residents are $500 for a standard e-bike and $1,000 for a cargo e-bike. Rebates are limited to one per resident and bikes must be purchased at a participating local bike shop. About 800 to 1,000 e-bikes are expected to be purchased through the rebate program.
The program will provide an upfront rebate known as a point-of-sale rebate, which means the rebate amount is deducted from the price of the bike when you buy it at local bike shop. You don’t have to submit a receipt and get reimbursed after the purchase.
Atlanta previously had a docked bike share system, Relay Bikes, that ended in late 2022. ATLDOT is currently researching and exploring best practices for bike share to determine a model that could work well within the City of Atlanta. ATLDOT will continue to make sure dockless e-bikes and e-scooters are available for use in areas where there were previously docked bike share stations.
