The sun is shining, temperatures are warming, and Atlantic Station is celebrating Bike Month! There’s no better time to get out on two wheels, whether you’re riding for fun, to work, to an errand, or just down the street. There’s lots of giveaways, group rides, and more bike-themed fun this May: read on to see how you can win cool prizes and have more fun on a bike at Atlantic Station. 

Discounts, raffles, and prizes 

Join ASAP’s MyGCO network today and share your bike rides to earn Clean Commute points towards a $25 gift card! Every time you earn 50 points, you can spend them on another raffle entry. Every Monday in May, we’ll drop new challenges to help you rack up points, like biking 5 miles or joining a group bike ride.  

During Bike to Work Week, May 11 – 15, every bike ride logged in the ASAP MyGCO network will earn 5 extra Clean Commute points!  

Link your MyGCO account to Love to Ride and enter ASAP’s network in their Bike Month challenge to enter the competition for our Premium Biking Kit. Once you’re connected, you can log rides once and earn points towards twice as many prizes! 

Be sure to log every ride you take in May in GCO and Love to Ride. We’ll tally up Love to Ride points at the end to determine who wins a Premium Biking Kit; including an REI gift card, bike accessories, and ASAP swag! Keep an eye on the Bike Month landing page to see an updated leaderboard every week and track your progress—and make sure you’re in the MyGCO ASAP network to qualify. 

Pro tip: you don’t have to own a bike to take a ride. Bird bikes and scooters are available to rent around Atlantic Station, and in May and June, Atlantic Station workers and residents get 50% off 10 rides a day.  To qualify, join our MyGCO network and use that same email to sign up for Bird. Then, send your email to [email protected] and we’ll activate your discount.

Attend these bike-centric events 

May Bike Month brings cycling events all over metro Atlanta. To see a full list, visit our Bike Month landing page. In the meantime, mark your calendar for these highlights:  

• ASAP is hosting free bike tune-ups and e-bike demos on May 12 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.! Meet us at 17th and ½ street with your bike or to try ours. 

• Midtown Alliance’s Bike Happy Hour on May 13 from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Nook. 

• Atlanta Cycling Festival on May 9 – 16, with events all over Atlanta. 

• Atlanta Streets Alive on May 31 from 2 – 6 p.m. on Ralph D. Abernathy St., from Grant Park to West End.  

Group rides to join

The Atlanta Cycling Festival from May 9 – 16 will include lots of group rides all over Atlanta! Keep an eye on their website or socials for upcoming ride info. 

Atlanta Critical Mass: On the last Friday of every month, this group takes a no-drop, slow and scenic, 10-15 mile ride through downtown Atlanta. Meet the group at Woodruff Park between 6 and 6:30 p.m., with the ride beginning at 6:45 p.m. Routes change each month and generally are not announced in advance. Watch out for ride events on their Facebook page.  

Big Peach Run + Ride Midtown: Every Monday at 5:30 p.m., riders meet up for a 10-mile Safety Ride around Midtown. The ride begins at 6 p.m. and goes at an enjoyable 6-9 MPH pace. To see routes and sign up for updates, visit their website.  

Bonafide Riders Cycle Club: This group meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at the Inman Park MARTA station. All rides are at least 20 miles, with the Monday rides being friendliest for beginners and Saturday rides being more advanced, with more hills. Times for each ride are below. To learn more, visit their website.  

• Mondays & Wednesdays – 6 p.m. meetup, 6:15 p.m. pull-off 

• Saturdays – 8 a.m. April – November, 10 a.m. December – March 

To find more group rides around the city, check our Bike Month landing page.

Resources for new (or returning) bikers 

Whether you’re riding a bike for the first time or have been a cyclist for years, Propel ATL has a free biking class for you. They offer classes including True Beginners, City Cycling, Get There By Bike, and E-bike to help you feel confident on a bike no matter where you’re headed. Propel ATL also offers resources on biking laws in Atlanta and safety tips here.  

To ride safely, a helmet that fits correctly, meets CPSC standards, and includes MIPS is essential. All helmets in the U.S. must meet Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards, so check for a CPSC sticker inside your helmet. We also recommend getting a helmet with Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), which protects your head from rotational force—a common danger in most bike crashes. To make sure your helmet fits snugly, follow the steps here. 

Lastly, you’ll want to keep your bike tuned up and stay ready to share the road! For advice on everything from maintaining your bike to riding to riding in rough weather, use the guides created by Love to Ride.  

ASAP is always here to help if you have questions. To get a custom commute route, find someone to bike with, or ask any biking questions, reach out to [email protected]. 

Trying to get ITP, from OTP? If you live too far for MARTA, there’s still ways to get to Atlantic Station via transit. By hopping on the free ASAP shuttle over to the Arts Center Station, you can get to Cumming, West Conyers, McDonough, and Hiram—plus many places in between—by riding the Xpress bus system.  Read on to find out how this simple, regional transit link could help with your commute.  

What is the Xpress bus system? 

Run by the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (ATL), Xpress buses carry passengers across the 13-county region of Atlanta.  

Buses run Monday through Friday, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Where can I get to? 

To see which routes stop at Arts Center Station, visit our Getting Around page.  

Xpress connects 22 Park and Rides out of the perimeter to Midtown and Downtown Atlanta, plus destinations like Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. That means, even if you don’t live near an Xpress stop, you can drive to the nearest Park and Ride and leave your car before you head into the city. 

 Xpress routes also run outward from MARTA stops along each line, extending transit service as far as the Newnan and Cumming Park and Rides. See the map below for all the routes.  

How much is it?  

Xpress fares are divided into two zones: the Blue Zone, including locations further from Atlanta, and the Green Zone, which covers destinations closer to Atlanta. One trip to a Green Zone destination is $3, while a trip to the Blue Zone costs $4. To see pricing for round-trips, monthly passes and more, see the Xpress fare page.  

Riders can pay with cash, but Xpress drivers can’t offer change. On a one-way ride only, you can also tap your bank card or mobile wallet to pay with the Better Breeze fare system. 

Xpress also accepts Breeze card fares, which allow the rider a free transfer to a MARTA bus or train from the Xpress bus.

bring this, not that

• You can store your bike on the bus, either on the attached bike rack or (if the rack is full) in the undercarriage storage compartment.  
• Xpress buses include a wheelchair lift and two wheelchair spots. Wheelchairs over 30 inches in width, 48 inches in length, or 600 pounds weight when occupied cannot be accommodated.  
• No food is allowed on Xpress buses, but drinks with a resealable lid are permitted. 
• No animals are allowed on the bus, except service animals for riders with disabilities.

Tips for riding

As always when riding transit, a Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) can help you out. Join ASAP on the MyGCO app and log 1 clean commute, and you’ll earn your first Guaranteed Ride Home from Georgia Commute Options (GCO)—in case of emergency, GCO will provide an Uber ride back to your house or parking location. To gain another GRH once you’ve used it, log 8 more clean commutes.  

Download the myXpress 2.0 app to track real-time locations for each bus, plan trips, manage your fare, and see Service Alerts as they come up.  

MARTA is getting an upgrade in 2026: tap-to-pay, new faregates, a new Breeze app, new railcars, and updated bus routes are all rolling out this year. These updates will connect riders to more local destinations, reduce bus trip times, and make MARTA stations more secure. 

For details and advice on using the new MARTA system, visit the Train & Bus tab on our Getting Around page. If your commute is getting more complicated, reach out to the Atlantic Station Access Program (ASAP) team for expert help at [email protected]. Read on to learn about all the changes, when they’re coming, and what it all means for Atlantic Station commuters. 

March 28: Better Breeze System Launches 

MARTA’s Breeze cards and fare gates are switching over to the new, more secure Better Breeze system starting on March 28. With the Better Breeze system live, you’ll be able to pay your fare with: 

• Tap-to-pay via your bank card or mobile wallet at faregates 
• Touchscreen Breeze vending machines where you can get a new Better Breeze card 
• A new, updated Breeze mobile app 

Current Breeze cards are not compatible with the new system and will not transfer funds. Make sure to spend any fare on your current card before May 2, when the existing fare system will be shut off. If you have fare stored in a Breeze Mobile 2.0 account, you’ll need to transfer the total to a new Better Breeze account to use it.  You’ll be able to transfer money from the Breeze Mobile 2.0 app from May 2 until October 30, 2026. To ride MARTA after May 2, purchase a new Better Breeze card at a MARTA station, use the new Breeze app, or use tap-to-pay with your bank card or mobile wallet. 

April 18: NextGen Bus Routes Start Running 

MARTA’s reworked all their bus routes to provide better regional coverage with their NextGen Bus Network. Starting on April 18, almost all buses will run a new route, at a new frequency, or be replaced with a more efficient option.  

The new bus network will reduce the number of transfers and trip times for many riders. No more peak-only services: every bus will now run seven days a week, with higher frequencies during mid-day hours and on weekends. Across 17 corridors in the Atlanta area, buses will run every 15 minutes, making your trip through town a snap.  

This overhaul improves access to jobs—nearly 145,000 jobs are now accessible by bus with frequencies of 30 minutes or less—and grocery stores, allowing more MARTA riders to rely on the bus for their daily trips. 

Summer 2026: CQ400 Train Cars Hit the Track 

The long-awaited overhaul of MARTA trains is beginning soon! This summer, the first set of CQ400 rail cars will be partially deployed on MARTA train lines. These brand-new train cars will feature open gangways and free wireless chargers for riders’ use. View the new trains and learn about all their features on MARTA’s website: https://itsmarta.com/newCQ400railcars.aspx. 

Are You Ready to Ride the New MARTA?  

All the changes may seem overwhelming, but we’re here to help. Visit our Getting Around page for updates on the bus routes in Atlantic Station, plus tips on using the Better Breeze system. 

If your commute is changing and you’re not sure how to navigate it, reach out to the ASAP team for one-on-one support—we can find the best new route for you and provide tools to help you plan your way to work.  

Email [email protected] 

We know you’re anxious to start shopping, dining, or hanging out at Atlantic Station. How will you get there? What’s the trip like? Read this beginner’s guide to Atlanta’s local transit solution—MARTA—and the free ASAP Shuttle to get yourself there in a snap.  

What’s the best way to get to Atlantic Station? 

Skip the traffic: you can get to Atlantic Station easily by taking MARTA rail and the ASAP shuttle. Use the MARTA trip planner to find an easy route to the Arts Center train stop, the closest stop to Atlantic Station. 

Once you exit the train at Arts Center, head to the bus loop to catch the free ASAP shuttle. Just look for the signs at its pickup point on the loop, then wait up to 15 minutes. Track the shuttle’s live location and view the route map here.  

How do I pay for MARTA? 

Get a MARTA Breeze card on your phone by downloading the Breeze 2.0 mobile app, or in person at any MARTA train station. Each ride costs $2.50 and includes a free transfer onto MARTA buses as you exit the station (or vice versa).  

To get your Breeze card at the station, use the self-service Breeze card vending machines by the entryway. There, you can get a temporary Breeze ticket for $1 or a reusable Breeze card for $2. Then, you can pre-pay for as many trips as you’ll need.  

Buy a Breeze ticket if… 

• You’re only in Atlanta for a short time—they expire after 90 days. 

• You won’t need to reload the fare on your ticket.  

• You plan on taking a day’s worth or less of MARTA trips.   

Buy a Breeze card if… 

• You’ll need to ride MARTA for multiple days. 

• You want to reload your fares as you go.  

• You’ll want to check how much fare is on your card at breezecard.com.  

How do I get on the MARTA train?

Once you’ve got your Breeze Card, enter the station by tapping it at the turnstile. Keep it handy—you’ll need to tap again to leave. 

Take the Red or Gold line towards Arts Center Station. Depending on where you’re at, you’ll need to take the North or South-bound train. Use the MARTA trip planner to check your route, or one of the route maps at the MARTA station. 

MARTA trains usually run about every 20 minutes. Keep an eye on your train’s estimated arrival time with the digital screens above each stop.  

When the train arrives, hop on and relax until Arts Center is announced! You can watch for the next stop displayed in the front of each car.  

Where do I get off? 

The ASAP shuttle runs from MARTA’s Arts Center station. Click here for the station’s latest arrival times, plus what’s available at your stop.  

How do I take the ASAP shuttle? 

Once you exit the train at MARTA’s Arts Center station, follow the Bus and Shuttle signs to the free ASAP shuttle. Just look for the ASAP signs at its pickup point, then wait up to 15 minutes! Track the shuttle’s live location and view the route map here. 

To reach Atlantic Station, get off at Atlantic Drive, the second stop. The retail, restaurants, and events will be waiting right ahead. 

Where do I go from here? 

Heading out? We’ve got you covered. Use our map of the Atlantic Station area and transit routes to find your next destination or follow these steps to an Atlanta hot spot: 

• High Museum of Art 

• Mercedes-Benz Stadium  

• Georgia Aquarium 

• More destinations we love!