Southampton University have used Cyclescheme for a number of years and have seen fantastic levels of employee engagement.
Andrew Gameson, Reward and Recognition Manger at University of Southampton, comments:
“Southampton University has operated a cycle to work scheme since 2010. Initially we used a different provider (Halfords), but switched to Cyclescheme in 2011 as it offered a much wider range of bikes."
“Since inception, the scheme has been received favourably from our staff with a healthy uptake rate year on year. This is by far one of our most popular benefits, so far we have issued around 1,350 vouchers - this is roughly 150-200 per year."
Is there any evidence that it has become more popular as the years have gone on?
“The University is based in an urban area of Southampton, and we have limited parking on campus. Offering cycling options is an essential way of encouraging people to change their mode of transport to ease congestion and traffic on site. We also have a staff and student body who are interested in green initiatives and sustainability and offering a cycle to work scheme supports this."
You're aware of the incoming changes to the guidance and the removal of the £1,000 limit, what effect do you think this will have on your scheme?
“We’ve done some analysis on the uptake of our cycle to work scheme and the majority of our vouchers are issued to people living within three miles of our main campus – a perfect cycling distance for commuting, and one where we should be minimising car journeys. We think that the removal of the cap will mean that those living further distances can also take part in the scheme as it opens the bike options to e-bikes – for those less able, and for those who have a longer commute."
“We find that around a fifth of our current cycle scheme applicants apply for vouchers at the full £1,000 limit. We think it’s likely that these people would apply for a higher value bike if this option was available to them, so we expect a fairly strong uptake of higher voucher values once they are available.”
LEARN ABOUT THE GUIDANCE CHANGES