Make your commute more sustainable
- Tuesday, October 29, 2024
- Posted By The Growth Company
At GC we’re committed to supporting our colleagues to make more sustainable choices, both in their home and workplace.
Of the 848 colleagues who completed our Travel and Homeworking Survey at the start of the year, 48% commute to work by car.
Our latest Emissions Report (reporting Year: April 2022 – March 2023) shows that colleague homeworking and commuting make up more than 40% of our total emissions.
This is an area where each colleague can make a change that will make a big difference, and we have a number of schemes available through GC Hive that can help you make more sustainable choices for your commute:
CycleToWork
One of the sustainable methods of commuting is cycling. Our CycleToWork scheme allows you to order a new bike, equipment or both up to the value of £2,500.00 from one of 1,250 cycling retailers – including Halfords, tredz.co.uk, and hundreds of independent bike shops.
Your employer pays for the order up front, you agree to hire the bike from Halfords, who are the legal owner of the bike from the start of the hire period. You pay your employer back through your salary to make tax savings of 28% - 47%.
Watch this video to see what equipment Grace Watson, Head of Restart GM, got through the scheme.
Train season ticket loan
For some colleagues, commuting by train could be a perfect option as it gives you some time in the morning to start your day off more slowly, perhaps by reading a book.
If commuting by train is something that you will do regularly, it may be worthwhile requesting a season ticket loan to purchase a season train ticket, as this could bring significant savings.
You can spread the cost of the ticket across the year as the loan will be deducted from your salary through 12 monthly deductions.
Tram season ticket loan
A similar scheme is also available for tram travel using Metrolink across Greater Manchester, allowing you to spread the cost of an annual Metrolink season ticket over 12 months through monthly salary deductions.
Colleagues are also eligible to receive an additional 10% discount on the price of the season ticket, meaning you can see even more money.
Car Benefit
We understand that commuting by car can be the easiest and most practical option for some colleagues but switching to an electric or hybrid car could make your journeys a little bit more sustainable.
The Car Benefit scheme allows you to purchase a brand-new car, configured from scratch, complete with insurance, road tax, replacement tyres, routine servicing and maintenance, as well as RAC breakdown cover, for a fixed monthly amount which is taken directly from your salary via a salary sacrifice arrangement.
This means you benefit from tax and national insurance savings. There are also protections in place for various life events, and no deposit or credit checks are needed.
Have you used any of these schemes? Tell us about your experience communications@growthco.uk