Bike to Work: Get into green transport and earn rewards with Activy

Green commute campaigns across Europe

The idea of eco-friendly travel and cycling gets more popular every year, especially with events happening all over Europe. A big one is European Mobility Week, which runs from September 16th to 22nd. The goal is simple: to get cities and people to try other ways of getting around—like biking, walking, or taking the bus—and to use their cars less often.

The week ends with World Car-Free Day on September 22nd. On this day, many cities close downtown streets to cars, make public transport free, and companies give perks to employees who bike to the office. But you don't have to wait for a special event. Many places run successful "Bike Month" challenges that have helped people get into healthier routines all year round.

The idea is simple: every active trip to school or work gets a reward. Kids might get stickers, while employees can earn points in a company leaderboard for a cool prize. So, why is biking in the city such a good idea?

"We wanted to be healthier and get our employees to work together on something positive. Our company also cares about sustainability, so we wanted to get our team involved in cutting CO2 emissions."~ Hochland (Case Study)

How Activy gets people excited about biking to work

Activy is an app that turns healthy habits into a fun game, and hundreds of companies use it to help their employees. Here’s how it helps you promote biking to work:

• Extra points for your commute (Gamification)With Activy, companies can set up a special point system that rewards bike commutes. When an employee tracks a ride that starts or ends at the office, they get bonus points in the company challenge. It’s a simple way to make the daily trip to work a fun part of the game.
• Easy reporting for company goalsActivy automatically shows you how many kilograms of CO2 your team has saved by biking instead of driving. This helps companies:
  • Show off the positive impact their employees are making on the environment.
  • Use real numbers in their official reports about social and environmental goals (ESG and CSR).
• Charity challenges and prizesYou can also set up challenges where the kilometers biked help raise money for a charity. This gives the daily commute a bigger purpose, which gets people more motivated and involved. And if your team loves prizes, you can reward the top riders and teams in all sorts of different categories.

10 real benefits of using your bike for transport

Switching from a car or bus to a bike has some great perks that go way beyond saving money on gas:

1. Health and fitness: Biking regularly is great for your heart and lungs. It builds stamina and helps you stay at a healthy weight by making exercise a part of your daily life.
2. Save money: You'll cut out costs for gas, bus tickets, and parking, which can save you a lot each month.
3. Help the environment: Bikes have zero emissions. That means no pollution, which helps make the air in our cities cleaner.
4. Lower your stress: Physical activity is a natural way to bust stress and boost your mood. A bike ride can really help clear your head after a long day.
5. Beat the traffic: During rush hour, a bike is often the fastest way to get around town for shorter trips.
6. Easy parking: Stop circling the block looking for a spot. You can park a bike just about anywhere.
7. Boost your immune system: Being active outdoors on a regular basis helps make your immune system stronger.
8. More freedom: You don't have to worry about bus schedules or train delays. You're in complete control of your travel time.
9. Build muscle: Riding a bike is a great workout for your leg and glute muscles.
10. Discover your city: When you slow down on a bike, you start to notice all the cool spots, shortcuts, and details in your neighborhood you'd normally miss.

Choosing to bike to work is a win-win—it's good for you, your wallet, and the planet. And with tools like Activy, companies can easily support this positive change, pushing for greener transport and helping build healthier communities.

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