CTW scheme, how successful

[jethro10]

Been having a chat with two folk, one works for a large company (10,000+ employees, so quite anonymous) and says, kinda off hand "The cycle to work scheme is a great incentive"

But is it? I don't know.
If a person is the type who is going to cycle to work, they will still do - cheap bike or not.
Does it bring major influxes of new cyclists into the fray and help pollution and fitness that much or what?

The general chat we were having was around is it worth tax payers cash to subsidise this, when it probably wont make that much of an impact in reality, especially in this financial climate, and the cash saved could be better spent elsewhere etc. etc. bla bla bla.

Me, well I have no idea.
So do any of you have first hand knowledge of how well it's worked for your companies employees, or your friends?
Especially smaller companies, so you have more in-depth knowledge perhaps?

Ta
Jeff

 

[summerdays]

Mr Summerdays bought his bike and started commuting - though he at first thought he would only do it on odd days in the summer when it was nice, and since then he has become a everyday all through the year cyclist. I've certainly seen posts on here where people started with the initial impetus being the CTW scheme.

Another friend, her whole family ended up with bikes after the husband bought one on the cycle to work scheme to replace his heap of junk which he did use but didn't enjoy. Another friend got a bike through his work's scheme but was made redundant before he could pay it off ... can't remember what happened - he may have ended up paying the full price. But they got rid of one of their cars (well it went with the job), and when he got a new job he looked for ones he could cycle to.

So of those 3 examples ... 1 was already riding a bike but a rubbish £20 bike that was falling apart and once he rode a new bike he realised cycling could be fun rather than just a means of transport, and in the other two cases they were both motorists who didn't cycle to work before they bought bikes on the scheme.

I'm not saying that everyone who buys a bike becomes a cycle commuter every day but some do, or others only do it some of the time. That is still good - potentially a car off the road some days and also a car driver with more of an insight into cycling as well.

 

[zizou]

There has been a large growth in leisure cycling which has been propelled by the cycle to work scheme, growth in commuting too but not by as big a margin. At this time of year it isnt really noticeable but on a nice sunny day in summer I definitely see far more commuting by bike than a few years ago.

 

[2Loose]

I know that my work bike shed went from about 15 regular bikes to 30 regular bikes within two years of starting the cycle to work scheme, so it has encouraged people and I see it as a succcess in that regard.

Not sure about the 'is it worth tax payers money' bit, as the saving is by the buyer not paying as much tax, rather than a subsidy as such.

 

[Woz!]

Of the three people I know who bought bikes on our scheme (small company) I'm on the only one who has used the bike to commute.
Well, OK, one has ridden her bike one time to work and not once since (even for personal use), so technically she falls inside the requirements!

So from my experience, it's got a poor hit rate. That said, you do see more bikes on the road now and I think that can only be a good thing and is probably worth the insignificant loss to the exchequer this scheme causes.

 

[Norm]

I was the only one that took it up at the last place I had a permanent job, and I commuted. In fact, I'm still commuting on the bikes now.

I would not have bought the road bikes and would not be cycling now without the cycle to work scheme.

 

[MLC]

Unless someone is interested in cycling or at least toying with the idea of it would they bother to peruse the benefit in detail ?

I feel that The C2W will appeal to those who would have cycled/want to cycle and would have bought a bike regardless of whether the scheme was in existence or not.

I do not believe that it will actively encourage a mass uptake of cycling more a slight trickle of an increase. The petrol prices may be more effective in that regard but only time will tell!

If they had a "use your PS3, I Pad, I Pod or I phone to work voucher" the take up would have been considerable! but why?

People are quite like sheep (a person by the way is not necessarily so) and tend to follow trends. I know this is quite a generalisation and I find that people who cycle tend not to be as sheep like. If the masses see even more people on bikes, then it is likely that more will take it up as part of the "well everybody else does it" trend as opposed to because of a handy C2W scheme.

Dare I give single speed/fixed wheel and London fakengers as an example (that is not a dig at people who ride single/fixed I quite fancy one myself)

Our company advertise C2W as part of their benefits package along with the usual Medical, death in service etc etc and my previous employer did the same.

I know of quite a few people who cycle in now as opposed to virtually no one say 10 years ago but was that just because of the introduction of the scheme or the general trend towards cycling as an alternative to the gym/keeping fit ? I think the latter

 

[david1701]

Unless someone is interested in cycling or at least toying with the idea of it would they bother to peruse the benefit in detail ?

I feel that The C2W will appeal to those who would have cycled/want to cycle and would have bought a bike regardless of whether the scheme was in existence or not.

I do not believe that it will actively encourage a mass uptake of cycling more a slight trickle of an increase. The petrol prices may be more effective in that regard but only time will tell!

If they had a "use your PS3, I Pad, I Pod or I phone to work voucher" the take up would have been considerable! but why?

People are quite like sheep (a person by the way is not necessarily so) and tend to follow trends. I know this is quite a generalisation and I find that people who cycle tend not to be as sheep like. If the masses see even more people on bikes, then it is likely that more will take it up as part of the "well everybody else does it" trend as opposed to because of a handy C2W scheme.

Dare I give single speed/fixed wheel and London fakengers as an example (that is not a dig at people who ride single/fixed I quite fancy one myself)

Our company advertise C2W as part of their benefits package along with the usual Medical, death in service etc etc and my previous employer did the same.

I know of quite a few people who cycle in now as opposed to virtually no one say 10 years ago but was that just because of the introduction of the scheme or the general trend towards cycling as an alternative to the gym/keeping fit ? I think the latter

oh god oh god what do you do

I'm self employed so no cycle to work for me but I may have put some cycling receipts through for tax so all is well

 

[jethro10]

Unless someone is interested in cycling or at least toying with the idea of it would they bother to peruse the benefit in detail ?

I feel that The C2W will appeal to those who would have cycled/want to cycle and would have bought a bike regardless of whether the scheme was in existence or not.

I do not believe that it will actively encourage a mass uptake of cycling more a slight trickle of an increase. The petrol prices may be more effective in that regard but only time will tell!

If they had a "use your PS3, I Pad, I Pod or I phone to work voucher" the take up would have been considerable! but why?

People are quite like sheep (a person by the way is not necessarily so) and tend to follow trends. I know this is quite a generalisation and I find that people who cycle tend not to be as sheep like. If the masses see even more people on bikes, then it is likely that more will take it up as part of the "well everybody else does it" trend as opposed to because of a handy C2W scheme.

Dare I give single speed/fixed wheel and London fakengers as an example (that is not a dig at people who ride single/fixed I quite fancy one myself)

Our company advertise C2W as part of their benefits package along with the usual Medical, death in service etc etc and my previous employer did the same.

I know of quite a few people who cycle in now as opposed to virtually no one say 10 years ago but was that just because of the introduction of the scheme or the general trend towards cycling as an alternative to the gym/keeping fit ? I think the latter

well this reply is close to what i would have figured it would be like also.
My work does not do a C2W scheme, I live too far away, and i wanted to build a bike for myself, not buy one, I'm not into road bikes, just offroad - so I'm not a target audience probably for the C2W

thanks everyone
Jeff

 

[MLC]

oh god oh god what do you do

I'm self employed so no cycle to work for me but I may have put some cycling receipts through for tax so all is well

LOL - If a lavish, exotic James Bond type of employment is on one side of the employment spectrum my actual employment would be on the opposite side of that spectrum entirely!

Death in service is just the name of the benefit and means if I drop dead whilst still in the employ of my company my nominated person(s) gets a lump sum.



EDITED: to actually make sense

 

[John the Monkey]

I bought a Brompton on ours - means I can work late if need be, and continue to get the train in poor weather (when I wouldn't do my "long" bike commute) or when doing so.

Chap down the corridor from me got a B too, specifically for riding to the train station to get to work (he used to drive to the train station, iirc).

There must be some folk here that bought impractical non commuting crabon superbikes on the scheme, but I don't know of any personally.

 

[Adasta]

There must be some folk here that bought impractical non commuting crabon superbikes on the scheme, but I don't know of any personally.

I'd be interested in getting a £600-or-so bike on CTW. You can get it for 45% off, no? Seems reasonable to me.

 

[monkeypony]

There must be some folk here that bought impractical non commuting crabon superbikes on the scheme, but I don't know of any personally.

You can't buy a superbike for £1000 so I doubt it.

I've had 2 bikes through the scheme (at £1000 each) thus far but I commuted by bike every day anyway so I can't say it 'encouraged' me at all.

I'm still amazed at how easy the scheme is to access and manage considering it's a government one!

 

[Woz!]

You're all aware of the new rules for this scheme aren't you?
Well, technically not new, but the new application of the old rules by the lovely tax man...

 

[monkeypony]

You're all aware of the new rules for this scheme aren't you?
Well, technically not new, but the new application of the old rules by the lovely tax man...

The new rules aren't a problem.

yes you can buy the bike outright at the end of the scheme and it costs you a fortune ...or

You pay a 1 off payment to cyclescheme (mine was £67) to extend the hire period for 4 years then the bike is yours (not a single further payment to make). It doesn't even stop you getting another bike on the scheme straight away.

Superb!