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Cycle to Work Scheme provider Green Commute Initiative (GCI) has reported a fifth consecutive year of growth, with orders in 2021 up 23% on the previous year.
During 2021, GCI’s average order value hovered around £2,800. Orders between £5,000 to £10,000 accounted for 10% of business, with orders in the £10,000 to £20,000 bracket making up 1% of orders. This indicates that employers and employees are prepared to invest in high quality commuting cycles to help their environmental efforts, the provider said.
Orders with a value of less than £1,000 accounted for just 30% of total orders received. GCI said this reinforces how important it was for it to launch its no limits scheme in 2016.
Around 300 new bike shops signed up to offer GCI to their customers during 2021, including all branches of Pure Electric. This brings the total number of registered bike shops to more than 1,600 and is growing daily.
Other 2021 highlights include the onboarding of nearly 100 new employers to GCI’s Corporate platform including the UK’s largest NHS trust, local and central government agencies, and there was a strong showing from the finance and media sectors. GCI’s pay-as-you-go platform (Instant GCI) continues to be popular with SMEs who enjoy the speed and flexibility the scheme offers them.
A major development in 2021 was the introduction of a standard commission rate of just 5% for bike shops across both Corporate and Instant GCI orders. On top of this, a commission rebate was introduced for orders over £6,000, helping bike shops to keep more of their profits within their businesses and local communities.
During the year, GCI turned five years old and was awarded ISO 27001 certification for a second year running, which offers customers confidence in GCI’s data security processes.
GCI has also embraced hybrid working practices with all staff working from home when required and with no interruption to service levels. GCI also introduced an enhanced sickness policy for its employees and a menopause policy was also introduced to recognise the impact menopause can have on employee health and performance.
Marketing director Joanna Flint said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have yet another fantastic year of growth. After more than two years of copy-cat models, following the Department for Transport update on the scheme’s guidance notes, we have emerged stronger and more popular than ever.
“New customers are signing up at a rate we’ve never experienced before. We look forward to 2022 and the opportunities which come our way.”
Rob Howes, GCI’s founder and managing director, added: “I’m really proud of what GCI has achieved in the five years since I launched the service. I’m convinced that our success is down to our transparency, honesty and fair play ethos, plus we have a fantastic team of people and that truly makes the difference.”
