Saddle upCycling – we'll help get you on your bike

Why cycle?Sustainability isn’t just about doing the right thing for the environment – it’s also about doing the right thing for our people. At PwC, we’re building a blueprint for better business that encourages you to make the right choices to support your long- term wellbeing.

Whether you’re travelling to work, to a client site or between offices, cycling is a healthy and sustainable travel alternative. The Department for Transport estimates that two thirds of all journeys in the UK are under five miles – a distance that can be covered in just half an hour on a bike. And if you get in the saddle, you won’t be alone. Bicycle sales have risen sharply in recent years as more and more people become alive to the benefits of cycling.

The healthy option: Cycling regularly will improve your fitness. Your heart muscles will get stronger, your resting pulse will drop and your blood fat levels will go down. Plus, by replacing regular journeys, you can use the time when you would have been stuck on a bus or in a car to keep fit, freeing up time and money you might have spent at the gym.

Save money: Once you’ve got kitted out, cycling can slash the amount you spend on petrol, season tickets or taxis.

Save time: Several studies have shown that cycling is the fastest mode of transport in urban areas, which means you can sail by the queues of traffic knowing you’ll have time to spare at the other end.

Look after the environment: Every time you choose to cycle as an alternative to driving, you reduce your carbon footprint.

About this leaflet: We want you to be able to take advantage of the benefits cycling offers. This leaflet sets out a number of ways we can help you to cycle more.

If you have any comments or suggestions about cycling at PwC, email blueprint@uk.pwc.com.

Financial support

Discounts through XexecXexec offers discounts on cycling equipment from retailers including Halfords and wheelies.co.uk. Visit Xexec and click on ‘Shopping’, then ‘Bicycles and accessories’.

Cycle to WorkCycle to Work is a Government scheme that allows you to get a bike tax-free, providing you use the bike mostly to get to work, or for work purposes. The amount you can save will vary depending on your rate of income tax and other benefits such as pension contributions.

How it works:

1. PwC will buy the bike and equipment you choose. You will then hire it back from us for a period of 12 months.

2. The hire payments you make to us during this time will amount to around 90% of the amount we pay for the bike and equipment. The monthly hire payments will be taken from your gross salary. The scheme saves you money because you don’t have to pay income tax on the hire payments.

3. At the end of the hire period, we may offer to transfer the ownership of the bike to you for 10% of its original purchase value, plus VAT. If you decide to take up this offer1, this figure will be taken out of your net salary. You will also have to pay income tax on the market value of the bike at the end of the 12 months (calculated using Government guidelines), less the 10% transfer of ownership fee paid. This figure will be included in your P11d. Over the 12 month period, the Government estimates that the bike will have lost around three quarters of its original value.

Figure 1. Payment comparison

Payments if buying the bike from a retailer

Income tax paid on net pay

Income tax on fair market value

Income tax & VAT on transfer fee

Transfer fee

Hire payments over 12 months – exempt from income tax and National Insurance

Net pay required to buy a bike from a retailer

Payments to source the same bike through Cycle to Work

1 For tax reasons, this is not an automatic entitlement. If it were, the lease would be considered a hire-purchase agreement and the tax benefits would be lost.

Joining the scheme: You can request to join the scheme at annual renewal in September, through the Choices system. You can apply for a bike and equipment worth any amount between £250 and £1,000, in increments of £50. If you’re taking part in the scheme, you will need to source your bike and safety equipment from Halfords. They will also give you 10% of the value of the bike you choose for you to spend on safety equipment.

If you wish to request a bike that is not in their standard range, it’s worth discussing this with them, although you won't get the 10% discount. If your application is agreed, you will get a certificate to take to Halfords and exchange for the bike and equipment.

Find out more: Visit http://choicesmanual.pwcinternal.com and then select ‘Benefits’, ‘Lifestyle’, then ‘Cycle to Work’.

Mileage payments for work-related journeysWe want to reward you for doing the right thing, so the firm will pay you a mileage rate of 12p a mile if you use your own bicycle for work purposes. Because these payments only cover business travel, they don’t include journeys between work and home. You can’t claim if you’re hiring a bike through the Choices Cycle to Work scheme (see above), although if the hire agreement has concluded and you’ve purchased your bike from us, you may do so. You also can’t claim if you’re using a bike through Transport for London’s Barclays Cycle Hire scheme.

For more information, visit http://expensespolicy.pwcinternal.com

FacilitiesWe try to make it easier for our people to cycle to work by offering facilities such as bike racks, showers and lockers, although available space or landlord restrictions means we can’t offer the same facilities in all our UK offices. The table on the right gives a quick-reference summary of the facilities in each office, together with where to find more information on the PwC portal.

1 On the portal, go to Office > Office services > Office information > [insert code].

2 Discounts on bikes and equipment are also available at a local bike shop, Biketrax. Basic cycle maintenance tools and drying room also available. See the portal for more details.

3 Bike storage is at local shop, ‘On Your Bike’. See the portal for more details.

4 Shower and bike rack facilities are at Embankment Place.

City Cycle racks Showers Lockers More information1

Aberdeen Car parking & cycling

Belfast Car parking & cycling

Birmingham Car parking & cycling

Bournemouth Car parking & cycling

Bristol Car parking & cycling

Cambridge Car parking & cycling

Cardiff Car parking & cycling

East Midlands Car parking & cycling

Edinburgh2 Car parking & cycling

Gatwick Car parking & cycling

Glasgow Car parking

Gloucester Car parking & cycling

Hull Car parking & cycling

Leeds Car parking & cycling

Linen Green General building facilities

Liverpool Car parking & cycling

London 6 Hay’s Lane3 General building facilities

London 80 Strand4 Onsite facilities

London Docklands General building facilities

London Embankment Place General building facilities

London Hay’s Galleria3 General building facilities

London More London Car, cycle & motorbike

London Plumtree Court General building facilities

London Union Street Car parking & cycling

Manchester, Abacus Court Car parking & cycling

Manchester, Barbirolli Square Car parking & cycling

Milton Keynes Car parking & cycling

Newcastle Car parking & cycling

Norwich Car parking & cycling

Omagh None

Plymouth Car parking & cycling

Reading Car parking & cycling

Sheffield Car parking & cycling

Southampton Car parking & cycling

St Albans Car parking & cycling

Swansea Car parking & cycling

Uxbridge Car parking & cycling

Cycle trainingMany local authorities offer cycle training, although the cost of this varies. Outside London, contact your local council or visit the Government's Bikeability website for a list of training providers in your area: dft.gov.uk/bikeability/the-three-levels/cycling-skills-for-adults/

Within London, you can request training in the borough in which you live or work by visiting: tfl.gov.uk/cycletraining

Other resourcescyclestreets.net National cycle route planner.

cyclejourneyplanner.tfl.gov.uk Route planner for London cyclists.

ctc.org.uk National cycling association – membership includes free third party insurance.

direct.gov.uk/cycling Government site offering advice on safe cycling and bike maintenance.