Active travel can benefit both your organisation and your employees.

There are many advantages to encouraging active travel. As an employer, you can help promote healthier and more active lifestyles, while supporting employees to achieve a better work-life balance. Studies have found that active travel can significantly reduce sickness absence among employees. Visit the Sustrans website for more information.

There can also be financial benefits for employers. Some organisations have reported:

• Reduced parking costs.
• Reduced grey fleet mileage claim costs. Mileage rates are 45p per mile for cars and 20p per mile for bicycles.
• Positive publicity.
• An improved business reputation.
• Reduced journey times by making use of pedestrianised areas and avoiding traffic congestion at peak times.
• Easier, faster and cheaper parking, often closer to the destination.
• No low emission zone charges.
• Opportunities to remove unnecessary vehicles from the fleet.

See the table below for examples of potential cost, emissions and time savings. The comparison assumes a two-mile city-centre journey. Cycling is typically the fastest and most efficient mode of travel, resulting in very low, if any, emissions and costs.

1. Based on 116.9266p per litre fuel taken from 2020 average of petrol and diesel fuel cost (AA 2021)
2. Assuming 36V battery charging on average domestic 13amp three pin socket (GOV.UK 2021)
3. Average car emissions in 2021 (BEIS 2021)
4. Assuming home charging and conservative 25 mile range (Energy Saving Trust 2021)
5. Average speed in Edinburgh city centre in 2017 (study by In-car Cleverness in (APH 2017)
6. Assuming 50% 15.5mph (the fastest electric assisted speed allowed in the UK) and a 50% 12mph (average bike speed). Ebikes can go faster by pedalling.
7. Average cycle speed (energy Saving Trust 2021a)
8. Average walking speed (Energy Saving Trust 2021a)

Supporting active travel

To support staff who want to cycle to work, you should provide facilities such as changing rooms, lockers and secure cycle storage.

You can also help employees switch to active travel by providing pool bikes, e-bikes or e-cargo bikes.

Financial incentives can also encourage cycling. Employees can claim up to 20p per mile for business journeys made by bicycle. It is important to promote this incentive within your organisation.

The UK Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme can be offered as an employee benefit. The scheme is free for employers to join and can help employees save up to 49% on the cost of a new bicycle and cycling equipment through salary sacrifice.

Other incentives may also encourage greater uptake of active travel. These could include prizes, subsidised gym or sports memberships, and organised walking or cycling events.

Adopt ebikes

E-bikes can improve your workforce’s health and reduce carbon emissions by replacing vehicle journeys.

An e-bike is an electrically assisted pedal cycle. It has an electric motor that provides power assistance when the rider is pedalling, reducing the amount of effort required. The motor is powered by a battery that can be charged using a standard three-pin socket.

Because e-bikes make cycling easier, employees may be more willing to use them and travel further. This can increase the number and length of car journeys that can be replaced by active travel.

The electricity costs associated with e-bikes are also very low. Cycling 100 miles on an e-bike can cost as little as 30p in electricity when charged at home*.

We recommend trialling pool e-bikes. You could also consider providing cycle training to support uptake among staff. Several organisations have found that this approach helps build cycling confidence and demonstrate the travel opportunities that e-bikes offer.

Cycling Scotland currently offers a suite of cycle training programmes to support workplaces with pool bike adoption. It also offers funding towards installing cycling infrastructure in the workplace.

*Assuming a 36V battery, an electricity cost of £0.17 per kWh and a conservative 25-mile range.

E-bikes are less physically demanding than conventional bicycles, particularly on hilly terrain. They are a good option for people who may find riding a traditional bicycle too physically challenging.

They may also be more appealing for work-related journeys, as riders can avoid arriving at their destination exhausted and overheated.

Adopt eCargo bikes

E-cargo bikes can replace some light commercial vehicle mileage and are cycles designed to carry loads. They are available in a range of configurations and can be adapted to suit specific operational requirements. They can carry loads of up to 350kg and offer load volumes of up to 1m³. As a result, e-cargo bikes are well suited to logistics operations and short-distance deliveries within urban areas and between operational sites.

E-cargo bikes offer similar cost and CO2e savings to standard e-bikes. However, their greater weight means they typically have slightly higher running costs. Travelling 100 miles on an e-cargo bike can cost around 28p in electricity, which is still significantly cheaper than using a car or van.

If you introduce e-cargo bikes into your fleet, we recommend implementing a training programme. Familiarisation training can reduce the risk of injury, increase staff confidence and improve willingness to use the bikes. High levels of staff uptake will help maximise the financial and environmental benefits.