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Air Miles equivalent for cyclists launched

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As a cycling business, we’re always keen to support others in the cycling community in their business ventures. One such company is PleaseCycle, a London-based firm that helps organisations drive commercial objectives through cycling.

PleaseCycle has been running its Bike Concierge service, which offers cycle services such as training, cycle2work, events, parking advice to corporate clients for some time, but the company is now going live with their BikeMiles initiative.

BikeMiles

BikeMiles is a tailored reward system for organisations whose employees cycle to work. The cycling miles accrued by an employee can set up rewards from the organisation he/she works for. These rewards can be anything from financial based incentives to stuff such as vouchers for goods or services.

Central to the operation of PleaseCycle’s BikeMiles concept is the company’s Cycle Hub system.

Cycle Hub

The Cycle Hub is where employees can log their daily bike mileage via online, Twitter, or mobile app uploads and see how many BikeMiles they have earned as a result of their cycling and where they can redeem BikeMiles for rewards. The Cycle Hub system allows for an element of friendly competition between colleagues with leaderboards for miles cycled and BikeMiles earned.

The Cycle Hub is also a one-stop shop for cycling content, route planners, weather updates, savings calculators and a forum for BikeMiles/Cycle Hub.

Beta testing

Consumer goods firm Reckitt Benckiser has been helping in the beta testing of the Cycle Hub and BikeMiles concept. In the live test, Reckitt Benckiser gave donations to the Save the Children charity for each mile cycled by their employees.

Within three weeks of launch, staff logged mileage equivalent to three lengths of Britain, saving four London-Paris flights worth of carbon and raising hundreds of pounds for Save the Children.

Other clients could opt for more financial based incentives or additional holiday time, while retailers could engage directly with commuters by offering discounts off bike accessories and maintenance.

Easy to use

PleaseCycle’s founder, 23 year old entrepreneur Ry Morgan, told Going Going Bike that PleaseCycle wanted to create an incentives system which catered for the novice and avid cyclist in one go.

“Newcomers can learn about the activity, plan safe routes and find more experienced peers, while advanced riders can keep track of their overall mileage, compete against colleagues and be recognised for their efforts. It also grants the organisation an overview of cycling within the workplace.”

Contracts

Apart from the testing with Reckitt Benckiser, PleaseCycle has signed off a branded Cycle Hub system with a Hotel and a University. They are now on the lookout for further contracts. Set up costs for a branded Cycle Hub start from just a few hundred pounds, according to Ry.

If you are interested in hearing more about Cycle Hub and BikeMiles, please contact Ry at info@pleasecycle.com - +44 (0)20 7631 2090

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