Program offers discounted bike and scooter rides to some Atlanta residents
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Joseph Rehanek, vice president at Bird, helps Veronica Dozier operate an e-bike in Atlanta. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios
Atlanta Housing is partnering with Bird to launch a program offering discounted e‑bike and e‑scooter rides to residents of its developments.
Why it matters: Reliable transportation — and the costs needed to maintain it — are often a barrier for people getting to and from work.
- Unreliable mobility risks their employment, which can then have a domino effect on their ability to maintain housing.
Driving the news: The Ride to Work program gives a 50% discount on Bird bikes and scooters to Atlanta Housing residents who are enrolled in the Bird Access program, which was announced Wednesday.
- That discount comes in addition to an automatic 20% off that will be available at Atlanta Housing properties in 10 zones across the city.
What they're saying: "Too often, the lack of affordable transit options creates barriers to employment, health care services, education and quite honestly, overall connectivity," Atlanta Housing president and CEO Terri Lee said.
- She said Atlanta Housing is the first authority in the country to intertwine micromobility access with resident services.
By the numbers: A survey of Bird Access program users found that 50% use the bikes or scooters to connect to other transit options, said John Lankford, senior director of government partnerships at Bird. He said 60% of users take Bird vehicles to get to work and 90% use them to make the trip home.
- Bird Access offers reduced prices for a limited number of rides per day to people who either receive or are eligible to get some form of government assistance.
Context: Atlanta Department of Transportation officials told City Council members in July that 1.5 million Lime, Bird and other micromobility trips were made in the city in the first six months of 2025.
Zoom in: There are 2,750 Bird bikes and scooters in Atlanta, and the company is slowly adding to its fleet size, Lankford said Wednesday.
- The company plans to install dedicated parking infrastructure for bikes and scooters at select Atlanta Housing properties. It will also host a job fair next month.
- "This is a win-win for us," Lankford said. "We need good people on the ground to help manage the fleet, to make sure it's safe, to make sure it's accessible, and to make sure it's reliable."
What comes next: The job fair will be held from 4-7pm Thursday, Oct. 9, at Roosevelt Hall. Qualified residents will be able to enroll in Bird Access, test bikes and scooters, get new helmets, and learn about safe riding practices.
Go deeper: Reducing e-scooter injuries demands designing safer streets