Municipalities that give money to those who use bicycles

Up to €50 a month to commute by bike. And even grocery shopping vouchers. From Turin to Bari, from Parma to Modena. Southern municipalities are missing.

di |
Bicycle
The math is quick. You take it home up to 600 euros more per year, you get a very beneficial physical exercise for your body, you don't waste time, money, and health on the road. Incentives to encourage workers to use bicycles instead of cars are multiplying in Italy, too, and are involving companies, municipal administrations, and associations. This is the case in Parma, where about fifty companies have applied to access funding from the call for proposals. Bike to work. Of course, we're not yet like Belgium, where half a million workers now use bicycles for their commutes and earn 0,23 cents per kilometer. But we've certainly come a long way since 2015, when a small town in the province of Lucca, massarosa, decided to incentivize, with money in hand, the use of bicycles as a means of commuting to work. It's a shame, however, that for now, the municipalities that are encouraging cycling are missing from the southern regions.

INCENTIVES FOR BICYCLE RIDERS

On average, municipalities that have chosen this form of incentive offer the 6-50-300 formula. It works like this: the incentive is equal to 25 cents per kilometer, up to a maximum of 6 euros per day, 50 euros per month, and 300 euros per year. Cash, which, all things considered, is quite a lot.

With some limitations, to avoid waste and abuse. Municipality of Carpi (the province of Modena), for example, imposes a restriction according to which the distance between home and work must be at least one kilometer and the chosen route, detected with a mobile phone app, must be the "reasonably shortest and safest".

This formula, so complete, has also been applied by medium and large municipalities, such as Grosseto, Bari, Turin, Cesena e CesenaticoAnd each campaign has a name: Live by bike in Grosseto, Bogia (which in Piedmontese means Plastic) in Turin, Bike to work in Emilia Romagna.

incentives for those who use the bike 3

ALSO READ: In Bari, the "Bike Income" program offers a cash bonus for those who choose to commute by bicycle. And up to €250 toward the purchase of a new bike.

In Trento, money will be given to municipal employees who cycle to the office.

In Trento, bicycle use is highly encouraged even within the municipal government. The municipality pays 25 cents per kilometer, up to a maximum of two euros per day, to those who cycle to work. The kilometers traveled and the distances covered are calculated by an app. And the seven employees who cycle the most receive a special bonus of between 20 and 50 euros.

VOUCHERS FOR BICYCLE RIDERS

A variant, much appreciated by consumers, provides the incentive not with cash but in the form of shopping vouchers with a network of stores of all categories, all affiliated. This is the formula chosen in Bologna with the popular project Nice Move and also in Modena.

What are the advantages of more widespread bicycle use thanks to local incentive policies? The first, after the reduction of pollution, is the savingFor workers, but also for companies which, as statistics show, see increased productivity when employees rely on this form of mobility.

Then there's the health benefit. Going to work, like going to school, by bike means getting the physical activity needed for a better quality of life. It's also a comprehensive preventive measure. Finally, once incentives are allocated at the local level, they cut red tape and everything becomes quicker. So those who choose to bike benefit immediately, concretely, rather than just announced and theoretical.

incentives for those who use the bike 1

PIN BIKE PROJECT: A PRIZE FOR BICYCLE USERS

The project  Pin Bike It's a kit installation, with a related app, that allows users to track their travels and earn rewards of 0,25 cents per kilometer, up to a maximum of 2 euros per day and 30 euros per month. The routes are the traditional ones, i.e., home-school and home-work, and do not include walks or trips. The last city of the 16 in Italy to join the project Pin Bike It's Bergamo. The group also includes Turin, Bari, Foggia, and Pescara.

BICYCLE INCENTIVES IN FRANCE

The French government has decided to recognize a contribution between 21 and 25 cents per kilometre in favour of cyclist workers. Not only that. Companies have been forced to create parking areas within company spaces exclusively designated for bicycles. And again, workers who use the bike sharing receive a discount on the service, while an additional incentive is reserved for those who purchase a electric bicycle.

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date. Click here!

BICYCLE: INITIATIVES AND HEALTH BENEFITS

Want to see a selection of our news?

Don't Waste