In January, 2009, following years of lobbying by independent bike retailers and SMEs, the Government launched the Cycle to Work scheme, allowing businesses to offer their staff tax savings on the purchase of a new bike and equipment. The scheme was introduced to encourage a shift towards healthy and environmentally-friendly commuting, giving Irish workers a simple and cost-effective way to get into cycling. Almost ten years later, the Government has stated that it has not examined Irish employees' enthusiasm for the scheme or its effects on the health and wellbeing of the Irish workforce. Nevertheless, we recently conducted a survey of Irish workers to find out just how beneficial the Cycle to Work programme has been and how it could be improved moving forward. We are very pleased to share the results of that survey here. Whether you are a business owner considering introducing the scheme into your workplace or an employee keen to know more, we're sure you'll find this report interesting.

1. The Irish Cycling Report 2018
One4all Rewards
Based on a nationally representative survey of 1,000 Irish adults, conducted
by Coyne Research in May 2018

2. Introduction
In January 2009, following years of lobbying by independent bike
retailers and SMEs, the Government launched the Cycle to Work scheme,
allowing businesses to offer their staff tax savings on the purchase of a
new bike and equipment. The scheme was introduced to encourage a
shift towards healthy and environmentally-friendly commuting, giving Irish
workers a simple and cost-effective means to get into cycling.
Almost ten years later, the Government has stated that it has not
examined Irish employees’ enthusiasm for the scheme or its effects on
the health and wellbeing of the Irish workforce. Nevertheless, we recently
conducted a survey of Irish workers to find out just how beneficial the
Cycle to Work programme has been and how it could be improved
moving forward.
We are very pleased to share the results of that survey here. Whether
you are a business owner considering introducing the scheme into your
workplace or an employee keen to know more, we’re sure you’ll find this
report interesting.
Cycle to Work
launched in
2009

3. Who’s on their bikes?
The research found that over a quarter (27%) of Irish adults cycle at least
once a week, with 10% cycling every 2-3 days. 22% cycle once every 3
months or more, while a surprising 40% of adults said that they
never cycle.
Interestingly, men are cycling a lot more frequently than women – 45%
of men cycle frequently (i.e. at least once a month), while only 30% of
women do the same. This gap between the sexes is worth highlighting;
according to this study, the mental and physical benefits of cycling are
felt equally by men and women, suggesting an external factor that is
preventing women from hitting the road.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, cycling is most popular among millennials, with
56% of 25-34 year olds cycling frequently. That percentage drops with
age, with 43% of 35-44 year olds and just 28% of 45-54 year olds
regularly using their bikes.
56%of millennials
cycle frequently

4. 5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Ages of Regular Cyclists (cycle at least monthly)
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

5. Popularity of cycling - Men v Women
43%
MenWomen
57%

6. Two wheels, many benefits
The primary reasons for cycling amongst Irish adults are twofold. 54% said
that they cycle for enjoyment/leisure, while a similar number (51%) said
that they cycle to keep fit. 80% of cyclists agreed that cycling makes
them feel better, both mentally and physically.
Less popular reasons for cycling include family bonding (15%), getting to
work (just 14%), hitting the shops (10%) and visiting friends and family (8%).
Interestingly, millennials (25-34) are the most likely to use their bikes to
commute, with 27% naming this as a reason they cycle.
It’s also notable that although just 14% said they use their bikes to
commute, this number jumps to 28% amongst those who live and work in
Dublin, suggesting that the capital offers superior infrastructure to
pedal-pushing commuters. This conclusion is supported by the frequency
of cycling amongst Dubliners (50% of whom cycle at least once a month)
versus the rest of the country (32%). 80%say cycling makes
them feel better

7. Reasons for cycling
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
As a family activity
To commute to work
To visit my local shop
To visit friends / family
Other reason
Cycling makes me feel better
For enjoyment / leisure
To keep fit / for exercise
80% 90%

8. Healthy workplace, healthy staff
Physical fitness is of course very closely tied to mental health, and it’s
imperative that both are kept front of mind for businesses. Maintaining
the health and wellbeing of your staff improves concentration, office
morale and output, yet it seems that not enough workplaces make this
a priority. According to the survey, just 11% of workplaces offer a
mindfulness programme for their employees. Even more surprisingly,
only a tenth of workplaces offer an employee fitness programme.
Contrast these numbers with the findings that 54% of Irish workers say their
mental health improves when they exercise regularly, and 40% would
like to see their workplace do more to encourage employees to stay fit.
Clearly businesses are underserving their staff in this department, with
potential unforeseen consequences to the mood and motivation of the
workforce.
Setting aside the obvious need to maintain a healthy workforce,
implementing a health programme in the office can have a measurable
impact on the bottom line. 20% of respondents said that a health/fitness
programme would make them more likely to stay at a company – which
means that SMEs could save thousands in training and recruitment costs
by introducing such a programme.
What’s more, if you employ a younger workforce, this measure becomes
even more valuable. Almost a third (30%) of 18-24 year olds said that
they’d stay with a company that offered a fitness programme.
36%say mental
health improves
with exercise

9. Encouraging signs
While structured health and mindfulness programmes may not be in
place in the majority of businesses, the research suggests that many
businesses are paying attention to the health of their staff. 30% of Irish
workers say that their employer values their health and wellbeing,
suggesting that while they may lack a tangible health programme, there
is still a good culture of mental and physical fitness in their workplace.
That culture seems to be comprised of simple, low-cost measures such as
the provision of a cycle to work scheme (offered by 25% of businesses),
encouragement to eat healthily (23%) and provision of healthy snacks
(22%). Healthy lifestyles are indirectly encouraged, too – 22% of
businesses provide showers for those who cycle or run to work and the
same number provide a secure bike area.
This goes beyond physical health as well – 23% of Irish workers say that
their employer is open about mental health in the workplace. This is a
positive sign, however, 39% of workers say that mental health/counselling
services are an important factor in improving their health and wellbeing,
suggesting that there is still more work to be done.
30%say employer values
their health

10. 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Encourages staff to eat healthily
Is approachable on mental health issues
Provides a secure bike area
Provides healthy snacks
Provides showers for cyclists
Encourages team building exercises
Offers a work from home policy / programme
Values my health & wellbeing
Provides a Cycle to Work scheme
Is open about mental health in work
Types of benefits Irish businesses offer
My employer:

11. Cycle to Work scheme
The Government’s Cycle to Work scheme, introduced in January 2009,
has had a hugely positive impact on the health and wellbeing of
Ireland’s workers. Almost three-quarters (71%) of Cycle to Work
participants cycle at least once every two weeks, with 59% cycling at
least once a week. In comparison, of those who have not taken
advantage of the scheme, just 23% cycle every two weeks.
58% of Cycle to Work participants cycle to improve their
health/fitness, compared to 48% amongst non-users. Furthermore, 11% of
Cycle-to-Workers use their bikes to visit friends and family (compared to
7% of non-users), suggesting that purchasing a bike through the scheme
has encouraged them to cycle more often than they otherwise would.
In terms of demographics, Cycle to Work participants are more likely to
be young (64% are aged between 25-44) and male (28%), matching the
demographics of regular cyclists. 24% of survey respondents have used
the scheme at least once, with a further 22% considering using it. Just 12%
of respondents had never heard of the scheme, reflecting positively on
the promotion of the scheme amongst Irish workers.
22%haven’t used Cycle to
Work but are thinking
about it

12. T: 01 870 8181 | E: corpsales@one4all.ie | W: one4allrewards.ie
Conclusion
As the concept of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and
physically, becomes increasingly popular, it falls to businesses to keep up
with the trend and demonstrate that they value their workforce. Doing
so is about more than just offering assorted health benefits and paying
lip service to an open working environment - companies need to plan
and communicate an effective health programme that responds to the
needs of the staff.
The Government’s Cycle to Work scheme has clearly had a positive
influence on the health of the Irish workforce and the culture of health
and wellbeing in Ireland. The many benefits of cycling, both physical and
mental, make it an ideal lynchpin around which to build an employee
health programme. This can be extremely cost-effective: introducing
Bikes4work into your business is free, and other popular health benefits
such as subsidised healthy food and healthy eating advice can come at
a low cost.
The benefits to introducing such a scheme are manifold, but ultimately it
comes down to the core values of the business. Whether you’re aiming
to increase your profits, motivate your staff to provide better customer
service or simply want to raise morale, encouraging your employees to
get on their bikes is a great way to achieve your goal.
For more information about introducing the Bikes4work scheme free of
charge into your workplace, get in touch with us using the details below.
Bikes4work
Free of charge
Easy to introduce
Helps staff save tax
Available from €5 per month