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French workers set to be paid to cycle to the office

French workers could soon be paid for getting on their bikes and cycling to the office, under a scheme set to be announced by the government on Wednesday.

French workers set to be paid to cycle to the office
The French government want to pay workers to cycle to the office. Although you're not likely to get rich from the scheme, your health should benefit. Photo: Tejvanphotos/Flickr

It won't make you rich but it will get you fit.

Workers at companies in France could soon be given financial incentives for pedaling to work, under a new scheme called "plan vélo", set to be revealed on Wednesday.

In a bid to boost health and the environment Transport Minister Fredéric Culliver is set to announce a raft of measures to get people out of cars and onto the greener two-wheel mode of transport.

The stand-out proposal is a plan to encourage companies to reimburse employees between 21 and 25 centimes per kilometre pedaled to work, in return for an exemption of certain payroll charges.

The minister is looking to trial the experiment through a number of volunteer firms.

Initially the proposal would only affect around five percent of workers but the minister hopes that figure will grow in the years to come.

The idea of compensating cyclists for the mileage they travel to work was first put forward under the previous government in 2012.

Similar schemes in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have enjoyed a fair amount of success, France’s TF1 reports.

According to the ministry of transport exempting companies from payroll charges in exchange for their participation in the scheme could leave France’s social security system with a €110 million shortfall.

However with workers getting vital exercise on their way to work the minister says the scheme will have definite health benefits and in turn end up saving the health service money.

Around 17 million people in France get on a bike once a week and around three million use it as a mode of transport on a daily basis. In recent weeks a petition on the internet calling for mandatory compensation for those who bike to work has garnered thousands of signatures. Campaigners say it would increase the number of people getting on bikes by 50 percent.

However the scheme was greeted with a certain amount of scepticism on twitter.

Julian Braillard tweeted: "Ah, the government want to have a "plan vélo" to go to work. That's really nice. We need a "plan jobs" first perhaps."

Another tweeter named Cecilia sarcastically said: "The state wants to promote the bike for journeys from home to work. They really have their priorities right." 

The compensation proposal is just one of 25 measures aimed at boosting the use of bikes in France.

Several of the proposals are aimed at improving safety, such as allowing cyclists to leave the road and get onto the footpath if there is an obstacle in the cycle lane.

The fine for parking in a bike lane is also set to be upped to €135 from €35. New secure places where cyclists can lock their bikes will also be built at all major train stations.

The government also wants businesses to create secure spaces where bikes can be kept by 2015.

The move has been welcomed by Gilles Pérole, vice president of the cycling club “Villes et Territoire Cycables” who believes it will have a positive impact on the French economy.

He told TF1 television that the three percent of people using bikes as a mode of transport and the cycle industry was worth €4.5 billion and the equivalent of 35,000 jobs.

If France can double the number of people using bikes as a mode of transport “we can create another 35, 000 jobs and have an industry worth €9 million,” he said.

“If the government worked more closely with communities, the alternatives to the car,, like cycling, could grow much quicker,” he added.

What do you think about the new scheme? Let us know in the comments section below.

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CYCLING

Explained: The financial aid to buy a bike in France

The French government has announced it will continue offering grants to help with the cost of buying bicycles until at least 2027, and the financial assistance will be extended to used bikes as well. Here's how to qualify.

Explained: The financial aid to buy a bike in France

The French government has extended the grant (bonus vélo) available to those looking to purchase bicycles to 2027, in an effort to encourage non-polluting transport options.

Previously, the aid was only available to those buying new bikes, but in 2024 authorities opened it up to second-hand bicycles under certain conditions. To qualify government assistance for the purchase of a used bicycle, it must be sold from a ‘professional seller’ not from an individual.

Standard bikes, electric bikes, cargo bikes and those adapted for people with a disability are all covered by the scheme.

The financial aid is open to non-French nationals but you must be resident in France and have a tax number in order to access the grants.

The French government also offers means-tested grants to those purchasing or renting electric cars – here’s our guide to see if you qualify.

READ MORE: The 18 cycling offences in France that could see you fined

Who can benefit from the bonus vélo?

The grant is means tested and intended to help low-income households purchase bicycles.

Depending on your financial situation and the bicycle you want to purchase, you may be eligible for assistance varying between €150 and €2,000.

If have a disability or if you have reference income of under €7,100 (you can find this value on the first page of your French tax declaration, which can be found online in your personal space at the impots.gouv.fr website) then you qualify for the highest rates of assistance.

These are (at a maximum of 40 percent of the cost of the bike);

  • €150 for a classic bike
  • €400 for an electric bike (vélo à assistance électrique)
  • €2,000 for an adapted electric bike (including foldable bicycles, those with cargo apparatuses, and those adapted for certain disabilities)
  • €2,000 for an adapted traditional bike (including foldable bicycles, those with cargo apparatuses, and those adapted for certain disabilities)
  • €2,000 for an electric bicycle trailer (remorque électrique)

For households with reference incomes (per person) between €7,100 and €15,400 in 2024, you do not qualify for assistance when purchasing a classic bicycle, but you can benefit from:

  • Up to €300 for an electric bicycle (vélo à assistance électrique)
  • Up to €1,000 for an adapted electric bicycle (including foldable bicycles, those with cargo apparatuses, and those adapted for certain disabilities)
  • Up to €1,000 for an adapted traditional bicycle (including foldable bicycles, those with cargo apparatuses, and those adapted for certain disabilities)
  • Up to €1,000 for an electric bicycle trailer

Companies, NGOs, and associations can also qualify for the grant, though only for up to €1,000, to help in the purchase of adapted (both classic and electric) bicycles and trailers.

Getting rid of your car?

Both individuals and companies/ associations can get rid of old and/or polluting vehicles for a ‘conversion bonus’ to help purchase a new or used bike.

For individuals this is also means tested – your reference tax income (per person) must be equal to or below €24,900 (as of 2024). 

The ‘conversion bonus’ is typically capped to a maximum of €1,500 per new or used bicycle. Only one bike per person is allowed.

However, if your reference tax income per person is less than or equal to €7,100 or you are disabled, then you can qualify for up to €3,000 in assistance per bicycle.

Similarly, if you live in a low-emission zone (ZFE) then you may qualify for an extra €1,000 in aid, and up to €3,000 if you benefit from a local subsidy.

The eligible bicycles include:

  • electric bicycles (vélo à assistance électrique)
  • electric assisted bicycles with cargo apparatuses cargo bikes, provided that they are electrically assisted;
  • electric assisted ‘longtail’ bicycles (eg. those with extensions in the back that allow for children’s seats)
  • electric disability adapted bicycles
  • Folding electric bicycles

How to request the grant

You must request the grant within six months of acquiring the bicycle, and this must be done online at the website primealaconversion.gouv.fr under the démarches tab.

You can log on using FranceConnect or your log-in information for the French tax site (impots.gouv.fr). 

Keep in mind that you will need your tax number to finalise the application.

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