Cycle to work scheme question

[hillwalker]

Can anyone help with the issue that came up recently when I tried yet again to get my employer to buy into the cycle to work scheme.



My employer of around 150+ employees refuses to introduce the cycle to work scheme. No reasons given apart from two points they made.

During the hire period when the bike belongs to the employer, if the employee were to have an accident going to or from work the employer would carry some responsibility.

Who is responsible for the maintenance of the bike within this time too?

 

[Norm]

Both of those can be addressed within the scheme rules. Most schemes that I've seen say that the employees are responsible for insurance (whether cycling to work or from having the bike stolen from the back garden) and the employees are responsible for maintaining the bike.

On the specific issue of the company being "responsible" for the employee having an accident, that would be very unlikely, IMO, and no more justifiable than if an employee where to have an accident commuting in a car, whether company or private. The company could discharge most of this responsibility, either contractually (make it clear that the individual is responsible), by training for the cyclist (getting in professional trainers to teach employees taking a CTW-scheme bike) and by (hesitates to say it) recommending safety equipment. Whether we like it or not, the legal industry does believe the bull about helmets and hi-viz / reflectives.

 

[hillwalker]

Thanks for the well detailed reply.

I accept the responsibility of using the bike and feel that they might have used these reasons simply because they are not interested in cycling.