Amazon encouraging employees to bike to work — with a new subsidy
As Amazon employees start their gradual return to the office, the company is adding a new benefit to encourage green mobility.
The company is launching a new commuter benefit in the United States that covers the costs of bike maintenance, rentals and more. Amazon said its employees who bike to work will receive a subsidy to cover associated costs, including:
• Bike leases: Employees can lease a take-home bike, including e-bikes, for a monthly fee eligible for reimbursement.
• Bike share: Employees can expense costs for dockless or docked short-term, app-based rental bicycles.
• Maintenance: Employees can take advantage of two complimentary tune-ups each calendar year.
• Bike parking: Employees can access bike parking at public transit facilities or offices without Amazon bike cages.
The bike benefits are available to all U.S. employees who haven’t signed up for ongoing parking in an Amazon parking garage. The new monthly bike subsidy ranges from city to city to correspond with local parking costs, which can be up to $400.
In addition to offering bike cages for employees to store their bikes, most of Amazon’s corporate offices also have showers for bikers to get ready at work.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our employees back to our offices and want to encourage them to rethink the way they get to and from work, so we’re creating new incentives to pick a greener way to commute—even if it is just one to two days a week,” said John Schoettler, VP of global real estate and facilities. “Reducing our carbon footprint is a multifaceted effort that includes building urban and well-connected campuses, designing buildings that use renewable energy, and making it easy for employees to choose public transportation over their single-occupancy vehicles.”
In Seattle, more than 20% of Amazon employees walk or bike to work and another 50% use public transportation or carpooling options, the company said, and it provides free transit passes to all employees.