Since our offices are located in metropolitan areas with high traffic volumes, we have recently started offering our employees a JobRad model. The bicycle is intended to be an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to company cars or the often overcrowded public transport during rush hours. Switching from the car to the bicycle reduces traffic noise and pollution and also relieves congestion on busy roads. For cyclists themselves, the sometimes very time-consuming search for parking spaces and long waiting times during the daily rush hour in major cities such as our headquarters in Munich are also eliminated.
What is a JobRad?
The concept for company bicycles is based on the well-known company car leasing models for cars and is aimed at employees and the self-employed. The aim is to offer and establish the company bicycle as an equivalent alternative to a company car in the future. Employees choose a bicycle or e-bike that suits their needs and requirements. There are no restrictions regarding the type of bike or the brand, only a minimum price for the bicycle.
The JobRad is mainly used by employees for their daily commute, but there is no minimum usage requirement. In addition, the company bike can be used completely freely in private life, for example for everyday errands, for sports or for leisure.
What are the advantages of company bicycles?
Compared to the conventional purchase of a bicycle, JobRads can result in savings of up to 40%. This is primarily due to the tax advantages, which are mainly favored by the newly introduced 0.5% rule. If the JobRad is obtained via a salary conversion, the taxable benefit for the private use of the bike has been 0.5% of the gross list price since January 2019. Before that, the tax rate was still 1%. If the company bike is completely financed by the employer, the taxation of the benefit in kind is not applicable, which means that the company bike is tax-free for the employee.
As part of the basic equipment, providers of company bicycles offer fully comprehensive insurance for every JobRad to protect the bicycle against theft and damage or in the event of accidents. The additionally included mobility guarantee also offers, among other things, a 24-hour emergency service and breakdown assistance. Additional services, such as inspections, can be booked.
The sporting activity also has extremely positive effects on the health of JobRad users, because regular exercise is often neglected, especially in office work. In this way, the daily commute to work becomes an important balance in addition to the job.
JobRad at digatus
With the JobRad, we want to give our employees a good opportunity to leave the car behind and at the same time do something for the environment and their own health. The newly introduced company bike offer is already meeting with great interest among our employees and is being very well received. There are currently three JobRads actively in use and more are requested or already being planned.
We asked two of our already active JobRad users why they chose it:
Sebastian Sonnenschein (digatus office Augsburg):
On the one hand, the JobRad variant naturally offers financial advantages compared to a normal purchase. But the health aspects were also important to me. I sit a lot in my job and the office routine can be stressful at times. I try to counteract this and create a balance, among other things through my approximately 25-kilometer commute along the Lech. According to initial experience, this works wonderfully. Even if some may smile at the e-support, just one hour of exercise in the fresh air clears your head. In addition, it also helps immensely to simply switch off, as it is simply not possible to make phone calls on the bicycle at my speed, unlike in the car. Admittedly, I remain a fair-weather rider, because arriving at the office soaked is not an option for me. Otherwise, I can only recommend the concept to everyone. Since my commute by car takes me from the north via the B2 and the B17, connoisseurs also know about the traffic situation that often prevails there: traffic jams. In this respect, it is also always a nice feeling to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Patrick Streit (digatus office Nuremberg):
In my experience, it is often difficult to integrate regular sports sessions into everyday life and to maintain them consistently. The JobRad is therefore a good way for me to keep fit. Since it is the daily commute to work, it does not feel like an additional obligation that you somehow have to fit in between all the other appointments. Cycling also helps me noticeably to reduce stress, as I arrive home much more relaxed than when I drive through the daily rush hour in the car.
