Leased bikes growing in popularity for commuters
The number of commuters in Belgium travelling to work on a bike leased by their employer has grown to record numbers, a workplace study has shown.
Currently, 1.62 per cent of workers have a leased bike, up by a quarter from last year, according to HR services company Acerta based on data from 320,000 employees at 37,000 private sector employers. The number of people with bicycle allowances is also growing, with one in six receiving an allowance from their employer for cycling to work.
Offering leased bikes is a way for companies to make salary packages more flexible. “Like the leased car, the leased bike offers the advantage that you can pay for it with gross wages, if the employee actually commutes by bike,” says Charlotte Thijs, mobility expert at Acerta Consult. “With the boom in e-bikes, more and more employees are choosing to cover longer commutes by bike.”
Acerta figures show that 16.65 per cent of employees received a bicycle allowance in the period May-July 2023, compared to 14.46 per cent in January-April. The average allowance is about 47 euros a month, while the average distance ridden rose from 10.62 km a day in January-April to 11.25 km a day in May-July.
© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
Related news
