Used with permission from Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Photo: Erin Sintos
Her company, The Happy Black Parent, an educational play space, is located in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh Yards. The community driven, innovative co-working and business space has quickly become an economic hub for South Atlanta. Pittsburgh Yards received the Great Place Regional Excellence Award at last year’s State of the Region.
Makeisha purchased her e-bike in 2020, though her search began as early as 2019, when her family started to save for the purchase. She has never owned a new car, and previous vehicles were used and required a lot of maintenance. With the e-bike, Makeisha doesn’t have to worry about car notes, insurance, nor maintenance, which proved to be very costly.
At the time of the purchase, Makeisha was also starting her business. Not having the cost burden of car ownership helped her keep her living expenses as low as possible. A little more financial freedom gave Makeisha the room to start her business and make it through the early phases as a startup company. Knowing that 42.6 percent of small businesses fail within the first four years of operation, she wanted to give herself a fighting chance to make it while insuring her family’s stability.*
She currently uses her e-bike to get to work, pick-up groceries, and transport her children around the city. The bike offers Makeisha time to exercise and destress at the end of her day. Thus, the e-bike has contributed greatly to her wellness.
Is Makeisha an Enigma?
Makeshia sees a lot more e-bikes but feels like she is an enigma. “I think more people use bikes for recreation, but I hope more people that need transportation will have better access to bikes,” Makeisha says. “I would love for people in my income bracket, and more whom I identify with culturally, to get an opportunity to meet their transportation needs with an e-bike.”
Makeisha recognizes how stressful solely depending upon public transportation can be, and enjoys having the option to walk, bike, or take the train. Traveling only via public transit would have been limiting and difficult for her family.
More Quality Time with the Kids
Makeisha is able to be more physically present with her children while traveling with them on the e-bike. One of the many benefits is that she recognizes they are more in tune with nature and aware of their route and surroundings. “They notice their surroundings more. They are more resilient and not intimidated by weather. They like to be outside, stomping around in the rain, stopping to look at flowers, and they have the best of both worlds,” said Makeisha about the advantages of biking. This benefit is important because it reflects the mission of her company - that strong relationships between parents and children are built when quality time is spent together.
For Makeisha and her family, the e-bike is a family affair, that both meets their transportation needs and complements their lifestyle.
Learn more about the ARC managed City of Atlanta e-bike rebate program.
*Source: Entrepreneur.com
What’s Next ATL, produced by the Atlanta Regional Commission, is a community resource that explores how metro Atlanta is growing and changing, and how the region is addressing its most pressing challenges.
