Commuting by bike

Commuting by bike in York is cheap, healthy, fast - and fun!

University Cyclists

Try cycling to work and you can:

Make big savings on the cost of running a car: fuel, parking and vehicle running costs.
Improve your health and general fitness and reduce stress. Regular cyclists have the general fitness of someone 10 years younger.
Enjoy virtually guaranteed journey times and a fast commute: cycling is one of the fastest modes of transport for short urban trips.
Be kind to the environment.

For more advice on starting cycling to work such as the type of bike to get, transporting laptops, buying locks and lights etc see Go cycle

Cycle training

Cycling City York offers one-to-one Cycle training sessions to York residents and employees for as little as £17. This entitles you to 60 minutes of personalised one-to-one training. Longer sessions of 90 minutes are also available at a cost of £22.

City of York Council employees are entitled to receive a free cycle training session as part of the council's workplace travel plan. If you work for a large employer in York, why not contact your travel coordinator to see if they also subsidise cycle training for staff or are willing to provide it free of charge?

Buying a tax free bike

Many organisations now offer their staff the opportunity to buy a bike tax-free in order to encourage employees to cycle to work. These are called salary sacrifice schemes.

Employees can buy a bike and accessories (up to an agreed limit, say £1000) and pay for it direct out of their salary (before tax is applied) over a period of 12 months, representing a 25 - 40 per cent discount on the purchase cost.

For more information on bike purchase salary sacrifice schemes see Cyclescheme or Halfords Cycle2Work scheme or contact your employer.

Discounted loans for bike purchases

North Yorkshire Credit Union, Cycling City York and local cycle retailers are working together to provide affordable, low interest loans and a special discount to those who’d like a bike but can’t find the spare cash.

Each loan will cover the cost of buying a suitable bike from a reputable, local retailer, along with a good lock and a set of lights. Care is taken to ensure that the loans provided are suited to each individual applicant, subject to the necessary financial checks and approval by the credit union. Participating retailers are offering a six per cent discount to those buying a bike through the scheme.

Anyone over the age of 18 can apply for a bike loan, regardless of cycling experience or ability. Applicants under the age of 18 will need to ask their parents or guardian to submit an application on their behalf.

A number of local cycle retailers have joined the scheme and they will make referrals to the North Yorkshire Credit Union on behalf of customers who need a loan to buy a bike.

For more information, contact North Yorkshire Credit Union on 01904 676633.

Setting up a BUG

A Bicycle User Group (BUG) is a loose association of staff who cycle, or who would like to cycle, and work together to improve conditions for cyclists and persuade more people to give cycling a try.

The idea is that a BUG is open to everyone, including those who cycle to work every day and those who only use their bikes to get to work from time to time.

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