France Cyclic Kilometric Allowance

Imagine that you could get 200€ for cycling to work.You would not only help reducing CO2 emissions but also feel energized and cheerful when you arrive at the office. 200€ could mean buying 15 new books or a comfortable chair for your homeoffice or maybe a daylight alarm clock to nicely wake up on winter mornings. To improve air quality and reduce car use in cities, France launched a transport initiative in 2017 that promotes active mobility in cities. The concept is very simple: those who use their bikes to get to work receive 0.25€ per kilometer and up to 200€ annually. The voluntary program entitles employees to an annual subsidy of up to 200€, which is exempted from taxes. The subsidy for each cyclist is calculated based on the most direct route from home to work. Multimodality is encouraged: Employees are reimbursed for their public transport tickets if they need to cycle to a bus stop. After one year, the share of cycling among employees in participating companies increased to 125%. A larger number of participants now cycle 3-4 times a week, while the number of daily bicycle-users has doubled. So, office chair or daylight alarm clock?