RideAthens has spent more than three decades working to eliminate transportation barriers in the community. 

Americans spend 13% of their household income on transportation, according to the Institute of Transportation & Development Policy. With the poverty rate in Athens at 28.8%, local residents can face challenges getting from place to place.

BikeAthens, a nonprofit organization founded in 1992, donates bikes to those in need of transportation, hosts Fix Your Own Bike Nights, plans joy rides, and teaches classes on bicycle safety and how to ride a bike.

Scott Long started as a volunteer at Bike Athens before becoming its executive director in 2019. Long says they usually donate 100 to 120 bikes a year. 

 

The big picture there is just like you’ve really helped someone you know, when someone is in poverty the quickest way that you can help pull them out of poverty is to give them access to transportation,” said Scott Long, the executive director of BikeAthens.”

 

Josh Talevski and Destiny Johnson are journalism majors at the University of Georgia.