Atlanta, GA

Atlanta City Council approves plan to give up to $2K to Atlanta residents who buy an E-bike

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2024

Atlanta City Council approves plan to give up to K to Atlanta residents who buy an E-bike

ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council approved a plan to give an instant rebate to Atlanta residents who buy an E-bike.

Under the proposal, residents could get somewhere between a $500 and $2,000 instant rebate. How much would depend on a person’s income level and the type of bike they buy.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Oh, and it only lasts until the money runs out.

“We came up with an idea on how we can do a climate-friendly way of getting folks out of their cars,” Councilman Matt Westmoreland said.

Atlanta is not the first city to offer a similar rebate. Westmoreland says similar programs have worked in cities like Boston and Denver.

“I expect these first million dollars to be snapped up quickly,” Westmoreland said.

“It just opens up a lot of doors for people who normally wouldn’t be on bikes before this,” Co-Partner of Peachtree Bikes Patrick Gregory said.

Gregory says E-bike sales have risen rapidly in recent years and now account for around 50% of his business.

“It makes you feel like Superman. When you are riding the bike, it boosts you along, so it amplifies your own pedaling power,” Gregory said.

The bike’s powers vary, but Gregory says the bikes can allow folks to go quickly through a community with very little physical effort. There are also cargo bikes he says are set up to haul things like groceries or a second passenger.

“Absolutely. I’ve done it myself. I’ve ridden my bike with my kids to get from point A to point B,” Gregory said. “This bike can hold more than 400 lbs of cargo.”

The Peachtree Bikes co-partner says an entry-level e-bike often can cost around $2,000.

“The one limiting factor has always been the cost of bikes,” he said.

The approved plan will set aside $1 million to establish the e-bike rebate program. According to a press release by ARC (who will administer the funds), the program reserves 75% of rebates for income-eligible individuals earning at or below 80% of the Atlanta region’s median household income, or about $54,000 a year.

TRENDING STORIES:

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 expected to be available starting in spring 2024.

Applicants must be City of Atlanta residents aged 18 and older. Rebates will be issued every quarter and may be redeemed at participating retailers located in the City of Atlanta.

“The rebate is one piece of this discussion. The other is our continued work on infrastructure,” Westmoreland said.

The city councilman pointed to a 2022 bond putting $750 million towards improving the city’s infrastructure. Some of those projects included putting in bike lanes. However, he says more needs to be done.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Flooding, downed trees cause damage in Cobb County after storms

Source link

Click to comment

Atlanta, GA

Access to this page has been denied.

Published

9 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

Access to this page has been denied because we believe you are using automation tools to browse the
website.

This may happen as a result of the following:

Javascript is disabled or blocked by an extension (ad blockers for example)
Your browser does not support cookies

Please make sure that Javascript and cookies are enabled on your browser and that you are not blocking
them from loading.

Reference ID: #8bc8d90f-512f-11f1-b425-b440dba457b1

Source link

Atlanta, GA

Driverless Waymo cars get into traffic jam in Atlanta

Published

21 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Driverless Waymo cars get into traffic jam in Atlanta – CBS News

Watch CBS News

Atlanta residents woke up to Waymo traffic jams on Friday. The driverless cars took over a quiet cul-de-sac. Skyler Henry has more details.

Source link

Atlanta, GA

2 Giant Pandas Are Headed to This US Zoo. Meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang

Published

1 day ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

2 Giant Pandas Are Headed to This US Zoo. Meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang

The public is getting its first look at the two pandas that will be heading from China to Zoo Atlanta.

NBC’s Janis Mackey Frayer was able to visit female Fu Shuang and male Ping Ping before they make the nearly 8,000-mile flight. The giant pandas are both 6 years old and are headed to the United States as part of a new decade-long conservation agreement between China and the U.S.

Ping Ping’s keepers say he tends to follow them around, which is atypical behavior for a panda, but may be because of the food they have for him. Fu Shuang — which translates to “double happiness” — is playful, but nervous, and enjoys placing her chin on her paw. She also likes apples and has a penchant for finding them.

“Because we will hide pieces of apples, for example under the tree … she can find them everywhere,” panda keeper Wang Shun told Mackey Frayer, noting her “clever” behavior.

The pandas are part of an international cooperative research agreement on giant panda conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a renewal of panda diplomacy between America and China that began in 1972.

Fu Shuang and Ping Ping will soon make the nearly 8,000-mile flight from China to the U.S.TODAY

“Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species and to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the continued conservation and research efforts that are the most important outcomes of this cooperation,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement in April.

“We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas.”

Pandas are already at zoos in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Zoo Atlanta maintained a panda agreement with China from 1999 until 2024, when Lun Lun and Yang Yang went back to their home country, along with their two youngest cubs.

Animal behaviorist James Ayala marvels at how pandas mature.

“You see cubs and they seem so cuddly and clumsy and cute. And then they grow up into these big, majestic bears,” he told Mackey Frayer.

Fu Shuang and Ping Ping will be transported further south into a mountainous region where they will be prepped to make the trip to the U.S. It is unknown when they will leave.

Source link