Caruna has provided the city bike benefit to its employees for several summers to encourage employees to engage in physical activity and use sustainable modes of transport.
"We have provided our staff with the city bike benefit for several years. At the beginning, it was only a trial but due to its great popularity, it has become our annual tradition," says Iris Åkerlund, HR Coordinator at Caruna.
"There’s a city bike station right near our office, from which it is easy to pick up a bike and cycle, for example, to Sello for lunch. From the employer's perspective, the system is very simple as one voucher code works for everyone. Invoicing and other matters are also very efficient," Åkerlund says.
How to provide the use of city bikes as a commuting benefit
“The city bike benefit provided by an employer to its employees is a tax-free benefit in kind up to EUR 3,400, included in the employer-subsidized commuter ticket benefit," says Tarja Jääskeläinen, Senior Adviser at HSL.
The employer may order a voucher code via hsl.fi/en/citybikes, with which the employees can pay the 35 euro fee for the entire city bike season. The employees responsible for any additional costs.
If a workplace is located in the city bike service area but there is no city bike station in its immediate vicinity, the company may negotiate on the placement of a bike station in front of its offices. For more information, contact HKL or the cities of Espoo and Vantaa.
This year, the city bike season will begin in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa on 1 April. The Helsinki and Espoo city bike service is not compatible with that of Vantaa, and you cannot mix bikes from the two systems. You can register for both of the services online at hsl.fi/en/citybikes.
During the city bike season, you can check the availability of bikes and bike station locations using the HSL Journey Planner. Use the Journey Planner’s route search to select the modes of transport you wish to use. This allows you to select a city bike route for part of your journey.
