Run on bikes at ERGO

Company bike leasing arrives at ERGO. Six percent of employees at the Düsseldorf site are already on their bikes. And it’s no wonder, as the “sustainable mobility solution” offers many benefits, as ERGO employee Ulrike Jochum, among others, has found. 

Cycling is not just a summertime hobby for Ulrike Jochum. She gets out on her bike whenever possible. She’s now riding a bike that ERGO is leasing for her. "I wanted to buy a new bike in any case and then when I heard about the “company bike” scheme, I decided relatively quickly to take the company up on its offer.”

Company bikes are all the fashion

Company bikes are growing in popularity as a mode of transport: anyone who cycles to work is doing his or her own health some good, at the same time as doing something positive for the environment. Cycling avoids traffic jams, reduces noise and lowers harmful emissions. Company leased bikes are also a way of bringing an end to excessive volumes of cars and the scramble for parking spaces.

Ulrike Jochum also appreciates these benefits. The 56-year old opted for a trekking bike, as it means that she can also ride longer distances in her free time, she explains. The lease instalments are deducted from her salary, reducing her gross income. A further benefit is the fact that she can redeem the bike from the leasing contract at a significantly lower price after three years – or opt for a new leased bike. The bike leasing scheme includes electric bikes as well as traditional bikes up to a maximum cost of €5,000 per bike. "You can also lease a bike for your partner," explains Uli Plottke from the ERGO Works Council. "The two bikes cannot exceed a combined total of €8,000.”

Over 1,500 bikes have already been leased

While Ulrike Jochum still has to put some effort into pedalling as her conventional bike does not have an electric motor, almost 75 percent of company leased bike users at ERGO have opted for an electric bike – and so are totally on-trend. However, this also comes at a price: on average employees have spent almost €3,500 on their new leased company bike. Ulrike Jochum's touring bike cost just €1,400: "I'm very happy with it," she says. "It's a sturdy bike with eleven gears.”

Uli Plottke from the ERGO Works Council advises employees interested in bike leasing. He has been receiving calls and e-mails on the subject almost every day, particularly since the corona pandemic. "In the summer, over 1,500 bikes were being used at ERGO – and counting,” says Plottke. That is why ERGO is committed to providing an even better infrastructure in future, with showers, changing rooms and a new large bike store. And another bonus: naturally ERGO is also responsible for insuring the bikes.

By Benjamin Esche