display
“Sometimes I feel like a prophet.” Not a week goes by without Erwin Gutensohn being asked about Vaude's bicycle concept.
The CFO has to explain the sustainable strategy of the outdoor outfitter from Upper Swabia to other companies on a regular basis.
It's not difficult for Gutensohn: The 61-year-old is an avid cyclist himself and manages the daily trip to the company near Tettnang - of course - with his company bike, an e-bike.
“16 kilometers, with a gradient of up to 17 percent.” Upper Swabia is hilly, Tettnang is 70 meters above the level of nearby Lake Constance.
But at Vaude, a large part of the staff use the company e-bike.
display
The company is a pioneer here: the course for a sustainable mobility concept was set ten years ago.
"At that time we rebuilt the company premises and thought about saving car parking spaces."
So lockable bicycle parking spaces were set up instead.
They are even heated.
Charging options for the batteries have also been available since the renovation.
And showers.
However: "With an e-bike you won't reach your destination bathed in sweat," says CFO Gutensohn.
At the same time, the collaboration with Jobrad, the inventor of company bike leasing in Germany, began.
Since 2012 company bicycles have been tax deductible in the same way as company cars in Germany.
Bicycle leasing offers
"Many companies believe that offering this is a major administrative burden - but it is not." The bicycle leasing offer is integrated in the Vaude intranet.
Applicants fill out an online form, submit it, Gutensohn only has to approve it.
“Two days later, the leasing contract is ready.” The leasing runs for three years, after which the bike can be purchased privately for 17 percent of the purchase price.
Most employees do that, according to Gutensohn.
display
The Vaude fleet currently includes 160 job bikes, mostly e-bikes.
A good third of the staff therefore use leasing e-bikes.
“That was a real hype at the beginning - bikes were even leased for 5000 euros in lower wage groups.
Some of them came here with really wild bikes, fat tires for example, and a big grin on their faces, ”remembers the manager.
For Vaude it is an excellent tool to motivate employees.
“You are doing something really good for people.” It is financially worthwhile because the person concerned saves income tax.
The social security savings for the company, however, are small.
It is more the indirect effects that count for Vaude: "The employees stay healthy and we have saved 80 parking spaces."
The company is only liable for the leasing contracts.
Gutensohn considers the risk to be calculable.
Likewise for the small fleet of ten e-bikes, which Vaude itself makes available to the staff free of charge.
“But most of them will soon switch to their own bike.” Of course, company cars cannot be completely avoided.
As a little consolation, Vaude compensates the car kilometers at the end of the year through myclimate.
The company is liable for faultless technology
display
And there are still certain obligations for the company bikes: “Vaude will take over the insurance and technical service during the term,” says Erwin Gutensohn.
An annual budget of 120 euros per bike is available.
The company is even responsible for the flawless technology of the bicycle fleet: an e-bike that is used as a company vehicle is one of the work equipment for employees.
If the electric motor provides assistance beyond a speed of 25 km / h, it is also subject to the safety regulations of the employers' liability insurance association.
Such e-bikes, also known as S-Pedelecs, must be presented to an expert annually for the prevention of accidents.
The equipment of an S-Pedelec rider is also mandatory for company trips: this includes a suitable helmet and weatherproof clothing.
Mountain sports outfitter Vaude has set up a large fleet of bicycles for its employees
Source: Vaude
Numerous companies in Germany are now making use of the leasing service bike tool - last year more than half a million company bikes were in use in this country.
Since they are also used intensively in leisure time, the employee leasing model has prevailed so far.
But companies are increasingly going one step further and creating company bike pools.
This is especially useful for certain niches in which the bike has a clear advantage over the car.
The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, for example, use a fleet of electric folding bikes for their mobile fitters.
They are easy to take with you on public transport.
The fitter then cycles the “last mile” to the broken-down bus or tram - particularly useful if the breakdown has caused a traffic jam that makes the road in front of it impassable.
Various companies offer service bike pools
The regional office for nature, the environment and consumer protection recently purchased such bikes in the Ruhr area: As part of a model project with many different aspects, nine electric folding bikes have also been in use as part of the company's vehicle fleet since autumn 2020.
"With this approach, the State Office is a pioneer - and a pre-cyclist," says a humorous press release from the authority.
Other sub-projects were the installation of shower systems for cycling staff, bicycle boxes at several main train stations and drying cabinets for rainwear for bicycles.
If you want to get the staff on their bikes, you need a holistic concept.
While the conversion from four-wheeled to pedal-powered vehicles in the area is still a long way off, the offer is already there: various specialized companies offer a company bike pool.
The Austrian company Movelo, for example, takes on the complete management of a pedal-operated vehicle fleet: It provides companies with e-bike fleets via rental leasing and has already won several well-known customers.
This also includes R + V Versicherung with 16,500 employees.
"The company bikes are very popular with colleagues," says R + V HR Director Julia Merkel and adds: "In view of the density of traffic we have in our cities, the e-bike is the perfect alternative to the car." In addition, it is gentle the environment, because the company's batteries are recharged with green electricity.
Positive feedback from employees
display
Movelo currently uses a total of 2,600 e-bikes in customer fleets.
There is certainly more that can be done.
The areas of application correspond to the classic bicycle distance: short distances of up to 25 kilometers, primarily in urban areas.
The Berlin start-up Pflegetiger, an outpatient care service founded in 2016, relies on a fleet of e-bikes from Movelo.
“I am much more agile because of riding an e-bike, I am always outside and I can let the weather and the atmosphere affect me”, says the carer Benny positively on the “care portal” about his new employer.
There is no need to look for a parking space, and a lot of flexibility is possible when planning tours.
This leaves more time for the patient.
The company bike pool is often used when it comes to connecting several nearby company locations.
In Linz, Austria, the Kepler University Clinic maintains a small fleet of Movelo bikes so that staff can quickly switch between the three addresses.
The municipality expects the facility to provide local traffic calming and reduced sick leave in the clinic.
What will prevail, private company bike or company bike fleet?
Niclas Schubert from Movelo: “For some companies company bike leasing is better, for others company mobility.
Often, however, both also fit. "