As companies navigate the post-pandemic return to the office, employee well-being and sustainable commuting options are taking center stage. Traditional transit benefits like parking subsidies and public transportation passes are valuable, but a new contender is electrifying the scene: e-bikes. This innovative option is gaining traction with employees, and for good reason. Let's delve into why e-bikes should be considered alongside your established transit benefits.

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Beyond the Usual Suspects: Exploring Transit Benefit Options

Traditionally, companies have offered a limited range of transit benefits, often including:

• Parking subsidies: While convenient, these can incentivize car use, contributing to traffic congestion and pollution.
• Public transportation passes: These are excellent for urban areas, but accessibility and coverage can vary.
• Vanpool programs: Ideal for carpoolers, but not as applicable to shorter commutes and urban commutes.

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The E-bike Revolution: Powering a New Commute

Post-pandemic, the demand for healthy, sustainable, and flexible commuting options has surged. E-bikes perfectly fill this gap and the data paints a clear picture. For example, The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) reports a 200% increase in e-bike ridership between 2019 and 2020 in major US cities. Also, as employee’s desires drive change, a recent survey by the National Safety Council revealed that 45% of employees would consider using an e-bike for commuting if offered by their employer.

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More Than Just a Ride: The Benefits of E-bikes for Employees

E-bikes offer a unique blend of benefits that resonate with employees:

• Healthier commutes: Studies show e-bikes increase physical activity compared to cars, while offering pedal-assist for those seeking a less strenuous ride.
• Time-saving: E-bikes can often navigate traffic congestion faster than cars, potentially reducing commute times.
• Reduced stress: Avoiding public transport crowds and parking hassles contributes to a more relaxed commute.
• Environmental impact: Zero emissions make e-bikes a sustainable choice, aligning with growing environmental awareness.

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Beyond the Commute: E-bikes for a Balanced Life

E-bikes offer advantages beyond the commute. In our modern scheduled and hybrid work environment, employees find themselves benefiting from e-bikes which are ideal for running errands, exploring the city, or weekend adventures. This improves their feelings of work-life balance helping them to enjoy the outdoors, promoting well-being and reducing stress, and potentially leading to increased productivity.

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No new budgets: Integrating E-bikes into Your Existing Benefits Program 

Adding e-bikes to your existing offerings is easier than you might think and often requires no new budgets to be created.

For most companies, it is as simple as allowing e-bikes as an option presented to employees as they make their choice of how to utilize their transit benefits dollars - do they want vanpool option, a parking subsidy, or now a month-to-month subscription for the e-bike of their choice? Ultimately, the employee will select what suits their particular needs and more of them than ever are choosing e-bikes.

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Even if you have third party benefits systems in place (Edenred, or others), solutions like Ridepanda are already integrated with those third party providers. 

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This is where Ridepanda can help. But what is Ridepanda?

• With Ridepanda employees choose from a wide selection of e-bikes, cargo e-bikes and e-scooters all via month to month subscription. 
• Ridepanda offers the best quality e-bikes and scooters from Specialized, Giant, Brompton, Diamondback, Dahon, Segway, Okai and Momentum
• The vehicle is the employee’s to take home and use for commutes, errands, meeting up with friends, or anything. 
• The employee applies their monthly transit dollar amount to their subscription. And, Ridepanda integrates with your company’s benefits provider 
• Ridepanda provides free delivery or pick up, free insurance, maintenance at our Panda Hubs, and a helmet and lock at no extra charge.

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Ridepanda is a plug and play solution

• A Ridepanda program can be up and running in a matter of weeks with a custom employee portal where employees can view and select vehicles for their subscription
• Your company gets immediate access to a robust reporting dashboard once your program is launched
• All employee support issues are handled by Ridepanda’s support team
• There is no upfront cost or per employee charge to implement a Ridepanda program

Pedal Towards a Brighter Future

Including e-bikes in your transit benefits package is a win-win for employees, the environment, and your company's image. By offering this innovative option, you can attract and retain talent, promote sustainability, and contribute to a healthier and happier workforce. So, ditch the traditional and embrace the electric: the future of commuting is here, and it's powered by pedals!

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