Modern employee mobility in times of climate change – bike leasing at ECOCOOL

Another component of ECOCOOL’s sustainability strategy is bike leasing. “We have introduced a bicycle leasing scheme,” explains Dr Florian Siedenburg. “Business bikes are key to modern employee mobility and something we can no longer do without.” They are also a unique means of achieving positive effects across multiple levels, especially within the company. So far, 20 employees have taken advantage of the offer created by ECOCOOL in collaboration with a local bicycle retailer.

The financial incentives are especially attractive for our employees. “Through converting salary entitlements into benefit-in-kind charges, we can provide our employees with leased company bicycles,” explains the Bremerhaven businessman, who goes on to tell us that the administrative workload for the scheme is minimal. Moreover, thanks to the new 0.25-percent rule for calculating the benefit-in-kind charge, employees incur only about a third of the costs that would normally apply. This applies both to business bikes and business pedelecs (up to 25 km/h) – with private use included. “Our employees were especially interested in acquiring e-bikes,” Siedenburg adds. They are also delighted that their employer further subsidises the leasing instalments by contributing 20 percent.

The new project also has a positive effect on the company’s carbon footprint as well as on the health of the employees. Dr Florian Siedenburg is delighted that so many of his employees have taken up the bicycle leasing option, and tries his best to set a good example. “I can’t always come to work by bike, I’m afraid,” he laments. But he does hop on his two-wheeler whenever possible. An e-bike? “No, I prefer racing bikes,” he says grinningly.