In Europe, some employers have set up a compensation policy for employees who commute by bike.
In this way, companies hope to promote their environmental efforts and encourage employees to adopt a better lifestyle. Each kilometre covered is worth a certain amount. Rates for cycling commuters in Holland are 0.15 euros per kilometre (CAN $0.21), 20 pence (CAN $0.31) in Great Britain, and 0.20 euros (CAN $0.27) in Belgium.
Non-negligible benefits for employers
The Belgian Minister of Finance reported that last year in that country—traditionally a nation of cyclists—270,000 employees took advantage of the program, 140,000 more than in 2006. Supermarket chain Colruyt set a precedent; launching the policy four years ago, it now has 2,100 participants out of 22,000 employees. The benefits cited by the company include a reduction in the number of employee parking spaces—quite an advantage in urban areas. Colruyt plans to provide employees living more than seven kilometres from work with electric bicycles, to encourage their participation in the program, and is aiming for 400 takers by 2015.
Dutch company TNO has shown that employees who participate in the program take an average of one sick day less a year than other employees. It estimates that if 1% more people took their bikes to work, employers could save up to 27 million euros a year in total (CAN $37 million).