Norm said:
Interest? Not sure where that comes into it.
Many schemes (and this is another one which depends on scheme rules) will allow you to get a second bike when the first is cleared. Some schemes have fairly narrow windows during which you can buy a bike, though.
Again, from the DfT page which I posted and you quoted earlier, schemes are allowed to let you have 2 bikes at the same time - for instance, to have one at either end of a train journey. The scheme which I set up did that but I don't think many schemes do take advantage of it, although I think that the £1k limit for consumer credit licences would apply to the total value of equipment loaned at any one time.
Employers could certainly tell staff that they will not check up on the use, although I've seen one set of scheme rules which did require staff to log their mileage and journeys. Needless to say, not many people went for that scheme.
I wouldn't give kudos to any company which doesn't at least appraise their employees of the legislation and regulations. If Mr Taxman called the OP and he blithely admitted he had never used the bike for commuting following his employers advice, things wouldn't be so clever.
The OP went even further, though, suggesting "for everyone's information" that there was no requirement for bikes rented through the scheme to be used for commuting. Very wrong.
Nice scheme if you can get it....that's where the similarities end.
I understand that you subscribe to the 'intentions' of the scheme, and that is fine. However, my opinion is that it is a poorly thought out waste of time. It seems to be some select employers that are participating, and many big employers either know nothing of it, nor wish to.
It would be interesting to see the adoption of this scheme within the Civil Service; and whether we now have legions of cycle commuting city councillors and staff. How many politicians have opted for the humble Brommie, as part of the initiative (Mandleson doesn't count he already had his.)
From a basic guess, I am assuming that uptake is rather low. There are some lucky middle class users who can now add that racing bike to their collection for the Sunday sprint, and some other middle class users who can use it for the occasional commute. Across the country however, the picture is very different. And how does this bode in the economic downturn?
This was never meant to be a serious proposal, it was not intended to provide solutions with regards to congestion, national health, nor the environment, and it has not really helped the economy either.
Or are the racks outside the nations Jobcenters filled with bikes from the scheme.