BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Over 70 prominent UK employers from the FTSE 250 have pledged their support for the Cycle to Work Guarantee announced two weeks ago – including BSkyB and Eon – committing to providing staff with safe bike storage, changing facilities and access to the Cycle to Work scheme.
The announcement of the Guarantee has met with support from many companies within the cycle trade – including retail chains Halfords, Evans Cycles and scheme operators.
Cyclescheme director Richard Grigsby told BikeBiz that the firm sees it as favourable news for the industry: “I believe the government’s Cycle to Work Guarantee can be viewed very positively, as it represents a practical and achievable progression on the last five year’s experience gained from the Cycle to Work scheme.
“Cyclescheme is perfectly placed to implement all aspects of the Guarantee, using our nationwide partner store network and trade contacts, but employers will need to assess actual participation from existing cycle commuters and staff who plan to shift from other forms of transport in order to adopt the guarantee in a sensible way.
"For example, a true assessment of demand changing and cycle storage infrastructure can only be made once a Cycle to Work scheme has been in place for a reasonable period of time. And this is a crucial aspect of the scheme – it is intended that these facilities be created ‘for all staff who want them’ which, in reality, is often less than three per cent of the workforce.
“Cycle training and a local source of maintenance is now very achievable due to our network of over 1,450 local independent cycle stores and the abundance of training bodies springing up to cater for the increased demand.”
